I Am
by Mitsuki Horenake
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a servant who fell in love with a high-ranking official. Suppressed by the family, the servant has no idea how to reveal to him the emotions. Here's the problem: both the servant and the official are men. And in the world where love is only seen between a man and a woman...things are going to get ugly.
1. The Introduction

**I decided that I was going to work on a mini-project…this fic, of course. I call it "mini project", but it's more of a small fic than anything else. Hope you guys enjoy what you can push yourselves to read~**

**By the way, I just assigned to people what I thought made sense, so no trying to kill me because I'm trying to get a bad guy in here. No, seriously. I don't want to die OAO;**

**/=+=/**

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a kingdom whose lands stretched through the further reaches of the known world. The king who used to rule was cruel and unjust, taxing his people until they would crawl for the last piece of the bread. Many nobles who supported him got exceedingly rich and spent their times taunting the poor as they would barely cling onto life for just one more day…hour…minute…second…and gamble to see who would live to see the next taxation.

One day, the kingdom could take no more. A revolution was started, and after so many years they finally threw the king off his throne. He was banished to the far outreaches of the neighboring lands, where he pinned away and died. To the nobles, it was a horrific blow to their empire. To the common man, this was a day of celebration.

With hopeful hearts they gave the crown to the king's younger brother, who was kind and just, and the kingdom again descended to a time of peace. To the surprise of the advisors, the king did not banish the son of the unjust brother, and had even declared him the heir to the throne. And to the surprise of everyone, this son was nothing like his father, even openly speaking against him.

But that is not what our story is about.

This story is instead centered toward a small noble family, one of the many supporters of the evil king. The head of the house was a weak old man, married to a young but evil woman named Francine. Their children counted together to be total in three: the whining Irunya _(the eldest)_, the harsh Natalya _(the middle child)_, and the sweet Elizabeta _(the youngest)_. The weak old man grew fond of his youngest child, for she was the daughter that he had wanted, and as such the family grew harsh on the both of them.

Life turned for the worst when the old man finally took his last breath. Free from the shackles of trying to be nice, the family turned on Elizabeta, turning her into their slave. She was forced to abandon her surname and don maid clothing, and then forced to do all the work in the house. Because of the large manor, Elizabeta was constantly busy, unable to have a life outside the manor. Her only companions were the animals that she treated in their farm and the birds that flew into her window.

But we all know that story, don't we?

Let's instead focus on another…

**/=+=/**

"So many windows to clean…so many floors to wipe…and why in the world did they tell me to do that when I was making their lunch…?"

Elizabeta sighed as she left the room where she had delivered the food to Francine. She always knew that she was creepy as much as she was controlling, but she could never get used to how annoying she was. As she rounded the corner, bucket in hand, she instead saw with surprise a figure wiping a window on the other side of the hallway. She squinted.

"…Feli?"

He jumped, turning his head and seeing her holding the stuff that she was going to use. The minute he saw her, he smiled and lowered his hands, revealing the delicate frame hidden beneath the dress that he wore. Francine, in all her sadistic glee, wanted to see the only man in the house wearing dresses as well.

"Did you clean all the windows?"

"…not yet." He answered with a smile. "I only have to do those two over there, and then I was going to mop the floor."

"I'll do the floor, then. You clean the windows."

"OK."

Elizabeta watched as the young man fixed his dress and walked toward the window with the bucket in hand, surprised at just how blank he sounded. A long time ago, back when her father was still alive, he had brought him here from a faraway land, intending for him to be Elizabeta's personal servant. For some reason, Francine decided to keep him around, maybe for humiliation's sake. Still, he never once complained about it.

"I'm glad that you're here, Feliciano."

"Ve?"

"It makes me feel that I actually matter in this world…that I'm not just a servant in my own household."

"You're not just a servant, Miss Hedervary. You're the true heir to Sir Hun's fortune, and no one can deny that." He answered with a smile. "And no matter what Madame Francine tells me, you will always be my master."

"I'm not your master. Please remember that." She looked at him. "Call me Eliza, please."

"…Miss Eliza."

"Feli!"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"…no, it's fine. Call me what you want to." She laughed. "Actually, is it OK if you do something for me?"

"Of course, Miss Hedervary."

"We're almost out of food for dinner. Can you go down to the market and get a few ingredients?"

"I can do so."

"I'll find you once I'm done cleaning this floor. There's a chance I'll think of a few more items that aren't on this list."

"That's fine, Miss Hedervary."

**/=+=/**

"Good morning, Feliciano!"

"Good morning, Sir Ricardo."

Feliciano chuckled at the hello as he wandered through the city wondering where to find the things on Miss Elizabeta's list. Because of the freedom it holds, Feliciano always allowed her to go and do the groceries; he never really left the house. The outside world really did look bigger than what he saw from the window sill.

"Still calling everyone sir and miss, huh?"

"Y-yeah…" Feliciano blushed. "Miss Hedervary doesn't really like it when I do that."

"The average man doesn't know what to do when they're called in high respects, you know!"

"I-I guess…"

"Well, Eliza did mention that you may have problems coming around here." Ricardo laughed. "The marketplace moved further down the road, if that's what you're looking for."

"Oh…t-thank you."

He was about to head off when he realized that someone was looking at him. He turned his head and saw a strange figure staring back at him, a confused look on his face. He had blond hair combed back from his porcelain-colored skin, and had the most piercing blue eyes he had ever seen. Feliciano's eyes widened when they locked eye contact.

"Huh…" Ricardo blinked. "What's a high ranking general doing out here?"

The man had to rub his eyes as Feliciano walked toward him in confusion. This couldn't be the same man. This couldn't be, they were way too far from…

"F-Feli?"

"…Lud…wig…?"

**/=+=/**

**Francine**** is fem!France. I could not think of another female figure to evil…fy…?**

**And with that, the mini-project begins!**


	2. Trip Down Memory Lane

"Mein gott…I thought I lost you forever…"

"Ludwig…? What are you doing here?" Feliciano was confused. "A-are you even here?"

"Yes, I'm here…" He was staring at him. "I thought I lost you forever."

"…you…you still remember me…"

Feliciano started wiping his eyes, continuing to fill with tears. Ludwig had no idea what to do, so instead he ruffled his hair, making him "ve~" cutely and shiver. The whole town stared as one of the generals of the king's army was calming an ordinary man down with such compassion in his eyes.

"I'd never forget you, Feliciano. You're one of my closest friends."

"…you're one of my only friends, Sir Kaltherzig…"

"Sir…? Since when did you start calling me that?"

"O-oh, I'm sorry!" He laughed. "I've just been taught to…treat higher-ups with respect."

"So you're a servant…?"

"Like always…" Ludwig smiled. "May I ask of who?"

"Madame Francine Bonnefois." He answered. "She has three daughters and a lot to worry about."

"I see. Following so many women must be hard for you."

"No, not really. They do mention how feminine I am…"

"…that isn't a compliment."

"Ve? It isn't?"

"Do you really not know?"

"…no."

Ludwig couldn't help but facepalm at this. Was this boy really blind to what other people think of him? After a while, he heard a few mumbles behind him, and he turned around to see a womanly figure walking toward them, a list in her hand and a basket in the other. She seemed shocked at the fact that Feliciano was talking to someone.

"Feli?"

"Ah~! Miss Hedervary!" He ran to her. "Oh, right. Ludwig, this is Miss Elizabeta Hedervary, one of the daughters I was talking about."

"Nice to meet you." Ludwig bowed.

"Nice to meet you too." She curtsied. "I've heard all about you. One of the king's greatest generals, and one of the heirs to the throne."

"Please, don't push me so high." He waved his hand. "I'm only the son of the king."

"And yet you're not mad that the son of the other king is going to have the throne?" Elizabeta tilted her head. "I never understood that."

"He's a better king than I am. Believe me." He smiled. "Besides, he knows exactly what this kingdom needs."

"Being a neglected child must really do that to him."

"That makes him better than me, one who only knows how to manage a battlefield."

"Wow…deep."

"That's Sir Kaltherzig…uh, Ludwig for you." Feliciano blushed.

"Oh, speaking of which…how do you two know each other?" Elizabeta turned to the both of them. "He never really told me that he had friends outside the house."

"We're childhood friends." Ludwig answered with a smile. "Separated at a young age."

"Really? How come you never told me about him?"

"Because you were so sad that you were confined to the house and never had a friend before…" Feliciano blushed. "If I told you about it, you would've been sad, and I didn't want that."

"Oh…no, it's fine." Elizabeta turned to Ludwig. "It's nice to have met you."

"It's all right…um, by the way…"

"Yes?"

"Where do you live? Now that I know that Feliciano is here, I don't want to lose contact with you again."

"We live on that huge manor on the hill over there." She pointed up at the building. "Madame Francine Bonnefois, you probably already know about them."

"Yeah, Feliciano told me about her." Ludwig smiled. "Thank you. Now I know that my friend is alive, I can sleep soundly tonight."

"You two must've been really close."

"We are. Aren't we?"

"Ve~"

"Well, I love for you to catch up on old times, but my mother wants us to get some things for dinner. We're having guests over."

"Guests? Hm…oh, right. Madame Francine, that's why... my goodness, how did I forget that-?"

They were already gone.

**/=+=/**

"To think that you were friends with a _**general!**_ You should tell me stuff like this more often, Feli!"

"V-ve…it's not that important, Miss Hedervary…"

"Tell me more! Are you friends with the prince too? _**How about the king?"**_

"I-I uh…I might've talked to the prince once…_I don't think he remembers me…"_

"Oh come on! Everyone can remember something if it's as adorable as you are!"

"_V-ve…"_

Elizabeta kept teasing him as they both continued to shop for dinner items, doing her best not to embarrass him in front of everyone else _(though everyone kept wondering why he was blushing half the time)_. He lowered his head and tried not to make eye contact with her, too embarrassed by what she could be asking next time they do so. They spent the walk home not making eye contact, too embarrassed to hear anything more.

"OK, I'm done. You can look at me now."

"…_r-really?"_

"I got a good enough reasoning to see the relationship between the both of you~"

He kept blushing, hiding behind the basket of vegetables in his hand. Elizabeta continued to laugh as she pushed the door open, seeing the family staring at them as they were greeting their guests. As always, Natalya looked like she was going to kill them.

"You two!" Francine spat. "Show some respect for our guests!"

"We're sorry." Elizabeta bowed. "W-we weren't aware that they had come already…"

"Hey, no sweating it. Servants can make mistakes. They're not as awesome as I am."

"O-of course, Prince Gilbert…" Francine looked at the both of them. "Why don't you two prepare the dinner?"

"As you wish." Feliciano bowed.

The both of them immediately headed toward the kitchen, looking at the both of them before heading down. Elizabeta was about to mention on why the prince didn't say anything to him when Feliciano gave her a small look with that smile of his.

"Ohhhhh no. You're not working on the food by yourself."

"I-I just need you to set up the table first…"

"…the minute I'm done, I'm running straight back to you."

"_All right…"_

She quietly turned and headed back to the dining room, leaving Feliciano to tend to the food. He quietly smiled before quickly preparing the evening meal, cutting and chopping and boiling away while humming a small tune to himself. He kept laughing quietly as he kept chopping the carrots, thinking back to the good old days.

"_He always wants the carrots cut just right…the beef in perfect proportions with the onions…and only one cup of broth with the water…"_

"You remember me well."

"**Ve!"**

He turned his head to see _(with shock)_ that Ludwig was standing at the door, staring at him with a smile and making him smile and chuckle as well. Feliciano quickly turned back to the stew in front of him, cutting the carrots and stirring at the same time.

"I can never forget the same recipe that I've been making over and over again." He answered with a chuckle. "It would be rude of me to forget everything."

"Elizabeta doesn't help you?"

"I told her to set up the table. She's less clumsy than I am." He blushed. "Besides, I'm a better chef than she is."

"Do you mind if I help you?"

"N-no! You are a guest here!"

"I am also a friend. And friends help each other when they are needed."

"But Ludwig-"

"Don't argue against me. You know who is going to win."

"…all right. C-can you…_preparetheeggs?"_

"All together, or separately?"

"…separately."

"Very well."

Ludwig quickly walked toward the other side of the kitchen, setting up the eggs that were out to prepare the eggs for the omelets that he was going to make later. He watched him beat the eggs a few times and couldn't help but laugh a little.

"This reminds me when we were younger…when you would always want to help me to make your lunch…"

"That's because you never made it right." He answered with a chuckle. "I had to show you how to do it myself."

"And you taught me well."

"So I did. You know how to make all this after all this time."

"…are you with Master Gilbert?"

"For a personal visit as requested by the King." He said. "He wanted to know how she was doing."

"I see…"

"At least I know that you're here."

"Yes…I'm glad that you found me as well…"


	3. Dinner at the Household

The cooking took longer than expected, but to Feliciano's delight they weren't interrupted at all. It gave the both of them a long time to catch up on old times and talk about their lives. To Ludwig's surprise, Feliciano didn't mind being the servant to someone else.

"Feliciano…"

"Ve?"

"I'm…I'm glad that you're happy here…" Ludwig stated. "I-If you wanted to, I was going to help you return to the castle."

"No, I-I can't leave this place…Miss Hedervary needs me…I'm the only friend she has." Feliciano smiled. "But if not, I would gladly go back with you…"

"You're too nice, Feli. That's going to hamper you one day."

"Until then, I won't change who I am."

"I'm glad that part of you is still there."

"That part of me won't ever leave."

The entire time, Feliciano had to make sure that he was hiding his blushing face. Ludwig looked rather nice in his general outfit, a bit tight and making his muscles show off just a little more. For some reason, it made him look more…eloquent…than before. Even if he was a bit more musclier than how he remembered him…

"What are you _**doing,**_ Feliciano?"

He tensed and meeped as they both turned their heads to see Madame Francine glaring back at him, making the poor boy shiver and turn away. Ludwig blinked for a few minutes and was wondering what was going on.

"You don't have a guest work with you!" She walked forward until she was up in his face. "Have some etiquette!"

"_I-I'm sorry…"_

_***SMACK***_

"You should be ashamed of yourself. You are only here to work for your guests." Francine turned to Ludwig. "I'm so sorry, sir. This poor boy doesn't really know how to do anything on his own and-"

"N-no, it's fine." Ludwig was staring at Feliciano the entire time. "Did you just-?"

"Sometimes I have to discipline my children. I don't really like physical violence, but sometimes I have to resort to it."

_All the time…_ Feliciano blushed, rubbing his cheek. _She does it all the time…_

"But-"

"Please don't mind him. Now shouldn't you be in the dining room with your brother?"

"I-I was just talking to-"

Feliciano watched as Francine dragged Ludwig out of the kitchen, leaving him alone yet again. He rubbed the place where he was slapped and stared at the stew in front of him, wondering what else he should be making next. He decided that he should focus on the turkey, because the slap was making his cheek swell up a bit.

**/=+=/**

Elizabeta was straightening up the forks and knives when Francine dragged him to the living room. His brother was being interrogated by the other girls and for the most part, he was oblivious to what they were asking of him. Ludwig could only shake his head that the gigolo of the family wasn't getting the hint.

"I hope that Feliciano didn't trouble you too much, General."

"No, he hasn't." He kept trying to tell her. "He seemed to be working by himself, and-"

"We have Elizabeta to help, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do." She sighed from the other side of the table. "I'm almost done at the table."

"Good, because Feliciano needs you."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Ludwig had no idea what was going on as he was escorted to his chair and was forced to listen to the family talk to him and his brother about something he wasn't interested in: relationships. For some reason, Francine kept trying to drop the hint that she wants her family to be allowed back to the capital because of her relations to the kingdom. Just because the prince was the son of the former king…

"The food's ready, you guys."

They turned their heads to see Elizabeta and Feliciano holding their food out as they placed it on the table for them to enjoy. Ludwig looked down at it and realized that it looked very similar to the one he was always made a long time ago _(he even added a small barley leaf, just like he likes it)_. He couldn't help but smile at how nice it looked.

"Why is this sweet?" Francine looked at the soup. "Soup shouldn't be this sweet."

"I-I added honey to it." Feliciano wasn't looking at her in the eye. "It came out really bitter the first time I made it…"

"You shouldn't be feeding this to our guests. This is horrible…" She lifted up the plate. "Take this back."

"Y-yes ma'am."

"N-no, don't cut him short madam." Ludwig had to step up. "You see, I came into the kitchen to make sure he made this exactly as I wanted it."

"Wanted it?"

"Yes." He took a spoonful of it, and all his memories came back with it. "Perfection."

"Oh…well then…" Francine sighed, setting the plate down. "Perhaps I can live with this…"

Feliciano couldn't help but sigh at what Ludwig had said, being saved for just one more day. The rest of the day was basically the same conversation that they were expecting: Francine wants to move back to the capital, Ludwig mentions the overcrowding…Irunya's forced to try using womanly wiles, Ludwig's not impressed.

"T-thank you for your invitation, miss, but the both of us should be going."

"So soon?" Francine turned her head. "Will you not be staying?"

"No. Me and my brother were planning on leaving tonight."

"Y-yeah, yeah we were." He stood up. "We enjoyed the hospitality."

"I hope you two come back soon." Irunya waved to them.

"We will." The brother winked. "Oh, we will."

Feliciano and Elizabeta joined them in saying good-bye, waving as the two of them headed toward the carriages that were outside. Ludwig helped his brother jump into the first one before heading in after him, turning once to look at the family. He waved at Feliciano _(prompting a shy response)_ before closing the door and seeing the carriage roll off.

"Wow…I never thought we'd have the prince of the kingdom at our doorstep." Irunya smiled.

"That was pointless. We can't move back home." Natalya sighed.

"Well, there are things that we can't do…yet." Francine looked at Feliciano. "You're lucky that the General liked the soup you made us. That was utterly disgusting."

"H-he told me to make it that way, master…"

"Don't make up that bullshit, no one's buying it. Now clean the table."

"Y-yes ma'am."

"And Elizabeta? Do you mind cleaning the lobby of all the horrible mud you two have pulled in?"

"…sure…"

**/=+=/**

Feliciano and Elizabeta sat on their beds quietly in the small room that they both shared, the only window they have shining the moonlight onto the floor. The both of them were clearly tired, but the whole day seemed so out-of-place that no one thought would even happen.

"So…you do know the general of the army?"

"Yes…I used to be his valet."

"_**Seriously?"**_ Elizabeta looked up. "That's a high rank for a servant working in this small villa!"

"R-really? I never knew the difference."

"So…wait, if you were Ludwig's personal servant…h-how did the both of you get separated?"

"…I…don't know."

"What?"

"I can't remember…" Feliciano blinked. "All I can recall is waking up and Francine taking me home…"

"You…could've went back with him, you know."

"I-I don't want to just leave you here, Miss Hedervary…"

"I can handle being here alone-"

"_**I **_can't. It's all right…Ludwig knows I'm here, so there's nothing to worry about. He'll probably send for me one of these days…and when he does, I'll be sure to bring you along."

"…thanks, Feli." She yawned. "Geez, time went fast. I'm going to sleep now."

"Good night."

He watched as Elizabeta quietly fell asleep in the raggedy bed that she was in, before standing up and heading toward the small window. He could barely see the lights of the castle lighting up the horizon of the hills so far away from him. Ludwig and his brother were going back there…to their home.

_I'm…I'm glad that he's alive…and not a dream that I had. I've been here for so long, I almost believed that my time with him was only a dream…_ He blushed. _He's alive…and that's all that matters._

That was the thought that allowed him to sleep that night.


	4. Still Under Chains

Feliciano was woken up with a start by all the knocking on the door. He looked up and saw Elizabeta being woken up with a start as well before heading to the door and opening it up, seeing a rather peeved Natalya staring at them with a look that scared him.

"Y-yes?"

"Someone's at the door, and I haven't taken my medication yet." Natalya glared. "And we know what happens when I don't."

"_R-right…I'll be there in a minute…"_

Feliciano quickly walked past her and headed downstairs to the lobby, slowly opening the door before opening it in full. It was the mailman, not bothering to ask where Francine was before handing him the mail and leaving him. Feliciano could only blink in confusion before turning to the mail in his hands; one of them had his name on it. He quickly snuck it into his apron.

"Feli~~~~! Who was that?"

"It was the mailman, ma'am." He answered, turning around. "Letters to you."

"Ooooh, this must be that wonderful Romulus man that I was wanting to talk to!" She took the mail from him. "Do us a favor and make us some breakfast."

"Y-yes ma'am."

**/=+=/**

_Feliciano,_

_I hope that this letter reaches you. If so, then I know how I can contact you. My father was glad when I told you that you were alive; in fact he wanted to personally come and meet you himself. I had to convince him not to: I personally cannot find myself to trust your new master Francine. Maybe it was because she used to ally with the former king…_

_My apologies. I just fear for you working for that woman. If she was that strict to you in front of me, god knows how bad she is without wandering eyes to find the truth. If you don't want to leave that place, I cannot convince you otherwise, yet I cannot help but fear for your safety. If you ever feel like you're in danger, do not hesitate to send me a message. I will do everything in your power to protect you and get you out of that manor, and don't worry…I'll be sure to bring Elizabeta with us as well. She is a nice individual, and I want to help all of your friends._

_Feliciano, I hope you can respond as quick as possible. I can't help but be worried for you, but I'm glad that…nevermind. I hope life is kind to you._

_Ludwig_

**/=+=/**

Feliciano couldn't help but chuckle at Ludwig's concern as he was making the breakfast for everyone, immediately hiding the letter back into his apron. He was cracking the eggs with a hum underneath his breath, not helping but think about the times where he was meeting up with the young friend on the castle grounds. He'll write back tonight…

"You look happy today."

He jumped and turned around, seeing Elizabeta staring back at him with a smile on her face. He quietly smiled and started working on the breakfast, trying not to look too happy for his own good.

"I just had a dream about Ludwig last night…"

"Ohhh? Was it good?"

"Y-yes." Feliciano was taken aback. "Just good times, when we were only children…"

"Do you…want to go back to him?"

"V-ve?"

"If you two are such good friends…"

"…I don't want you to be the only one here…"

"Don't worry about me. Seriously, do you ever worry about yourself?"

"I-I don't have to…everyone worries for me, so…"

"Feli…you're too nice, you know that?"

"N-no I'm not…"

Feliciano could only blush as he finally finished the eggs and went forward with the bacon. For some reason, all he could find himself doing was laughing quietly at how he would sometimes say it to Ludwig. Maybe life does go around and provide echoes of the past…

"The _**mistress**_ wants me to work on the stables again." Elizabeta smiled. "After you serve the breakfast, you want to ignore what else they want you to do and help me with the horses?"

"T-that would be nice, I guess. I haven't seen Harriet in so long…"

"All right! Now you better hurry up…you can't keep the _**mistress**_ waiting."

"Y-yeah."

**/=+=/**

Elizabeta was nice enough to deliver the breakfast for the other two, leaving Feliciano to have to deliver to the mistress herself. If anything, he would give anything never to confront her ever again, but alas this is what he was bought to do. If only Elizabeta was with him…

"You may come in, Feliciano."

He cringed, but fortunately the door was closed. He quietly opened the door and saw Francine sitting on her bed, petting her cat in that creepy form and waiting for her breakfast to come to her. Feliciano had to keep himself from swallowing his courage as he quietly placed the tray in front of her.

"On time as always."

"Of course, madam." He bowed quietly, turning around to leave.

"Ah."

"Y-yes?"

"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

He cringed.

"I want to know everything that the general was talking to you about."

"H-he was just telling me about what he wanted…"

"Cut the crap. I know you're lying, and you know it too."

"…" He really couldn't lie this time. "We were…talking about our childhood."

"Your…childhood?"

"Um…we were friends…a long time ago. I was his servant once…"

"Oh…I guess he sold you because of how horrible you were to him?"

"_**N-no!"**_

"Don't lie to me. You were a horrible servant when I first got you, and it if hadn't been for me you would still be a horrible servant." Francine grinned at him. "Was he telling you how much better his life was without you?"

"_N-no…"_

"You're lying, aren't you?"

_I'm not…I'm really not…_

"Poor Feliciano. Not used to the world telling him how much of a waste he is." She leaned forward. "You're just another pile of flesh and blood living under my command. Don't you ever forget that."

"…_yes, ma'am."_

"The windows need a bit of cleaning up. I can't see the sun from here." She leaned back. "Clean them again, will you?"

"…_yes, ma'am…"_

Feliciano quickly walked out of the room, hoping that she wouldn't see the tears falling from his eyes. From the chuckle he heard, he had failed at doing that.


	5. Working At The Stables

**Soooo…for those of you who think that Feliciano is Cinderella in this case, well…be surprised?**

**/=+=/**

Upon Elizabeta's request, Feliciano quickly skipped the windows and met up with her back at the kitchen. She was holding up a rake and a huge bucket of food, smiling when he came through the door and not noticing that his cheeks have gotten swollen after a few minutes of being apart.

"Are you ready, Feli?"

"Y-yes I am." He answered with a light blush. "I'm coming."

He quietly walked behind Elizabeta as she went to the stables behind the manor to groom the horses. If he knew anything about her, it was that her true friends were always the animals here. She would always say that she was able to talk to them, but he never really thought about it. He was never really around when that happened…

"Harriet! Charma!" Elizabeta looked around. "I'm here with your breakfast!"

_**((Fantastic! It's Elizabeta this time!))**_

…_ve?_

Feliciano had to literally jump out of the way to make sure that the huge horses didn't trample him to death. As the two horses headed toward Elizabeta, he had to turn his head around to find whoever was talking at that moment. To his surprise, he and Elizabeta were the only humans in the area. He turned back to the horses around Elizabeta.

"Hey, no crowding you two! I still have to feed the others!"

_**((Don't blame me! The last person that was trying to feed me barely had enough for all of us!))**_

…_w-was the horse talking just now…?_

"That's why I don't trust Natalya for feeding you two." She answered with a chuckle. "Irunya's getting there, though…"

_**((The big-boobed lady? Yeah, she scares me!))**_

"Harriet! Language!"

_**VEEEEEEEEEEE!**_

He barely had the courage to not scream as he ran out of the stable and accidentally tripped over the chicken coup. He had to clean himself of the straw and saw all the chickens stare at him with eager anticipation. Feliciano couldn't help but cringe.

_What do these guys talk about behind my back…?_ "Um…" _Oh right, I have food._

He kneeled to their level and started spreading the food around, almost instantly getting swarmed with hungry chickens. Two of them would not stop clucking, making Feliciano instantly phobic about animal gossip. Do they even know that he's a man…?

_**((Yaaaay! The pretty boy's feeding us this time!))**_

_**((No hogging him, lady! He's all of ours!))**_

"_**GAAAAAAH!"**_

Elizabeta had to walk out of the stable to see what Feliciano was screaming about. To her surprise, all she saw were a whole bunch of chickens swarming over the poor servant like he was covered with chicken feed. Which he ended up being when he tried to get up.

"Is something wrong, Feliciano?" She asked, trying not to laugh.

"I-I think the chickens are hitting on me!"

"Eh?" She seemed genuinely surprised. "How so?"

"They just _**are!**_ One of them kept saying that I'm all of theirs or something!"

_**((Awwww…never thought that he'd be a shy boy! I just LOVE them shy boys!))**_

"**Waaaaaaaaaah! They're still hitting on me!"**

To Elizabeta's surprise, he ran away from the chickens and hid behind her with shivers down his spine. To Feliciano's surprise, she wasn't genuinely surprised anymore when she started laughing at him because of the fear in his eyes. Why was she doing this to him…?

"Don't be scared, Feli! They just like you!"

"_I know that…"_

"No…it's just that…I have no idea how to phrase this…" She slapped her hands together. "I never knew that you could hear them speak too!"

"Ve? Speak?" He turned to the chickens. "S-so they're actually talking?"

"Yeah." Elizabeta laughed. "I talk to them all the time…if I have time, of course."

"…and…no one else does?"

"Not really. I thought I was the only one who can talk to them."

"Well…it's not like I was able to hear them before…" Feliciano started rubbing the back of his head for a while. "Or maybe I did and didn't realize it…"

"Awww, don't worry about it. The animals are really nice."

"_If they're not hitting on me- __**GAH!"**_

"At least the chickens still like you!" Elizabeta laughed. "You must be one heck of a _**chick**_ magnet!"

"_It's not funny…"_

All she had to see were all the chickens flocking over him for the poor boy to recount his statement. She clapped her hands and started singing, which instantly got all of the animals to stop and look at her. Feliciano knew that she had a beautiful singing voice, but he never knew that she was…this captivating.

Her song echoed through the area, and soon all of the animals started joining in with the song. Before he knew it, there was singing and dancing and…wait, does this even happen? Did he hit his head when he fell over from the chickens attacking him? Why are there mice singing with her? She looked so happy…

"Elizabeta…" Feliciano stood up. "How can you be so happy?"

"Eh?"

"You're…with this family for so long. They've been using us for entertainment." He dusted off the straw from his outfit. "How can you still smile after all this time?"

"Because I know that there are people here who can support me. They know my pain; they suffered with me this entire time." She turned back to him. "These animals are my only friends, but they are still loyal to me…like how you're my friend, Feliciano!"

"Yes…I am your friend." He answered with a smile. "Friends forever."

"You're so nice, Feliciano."

"T-thank you…"

It didn't take long before Natalya discovered Feliciano in the shack with Elizabeta and ratted him out. After a long scolding from Francine, he was forced to wash both the windows and the walls without a lunch break. As he started back to the windows, he couldn't help but glance down and see Elizabeta cleaning the horses' stable while talking to her animal friends.

**/~+~/**

_Dear Ludwig,_

_I'm glad that I was able to get your letter. It made me smile to know that you're still thinking about me, and that you haven't forgotten our friendship after all this time. I'm writing to you in the middle of the night, the only break I have, so if the writing seems illegible, it just means I'm a little tired. I'll have a table to write on soon, don't worry._

_Is it weird that Francine doesn't think that I can read and write? She knows that I am one of your servants…maybe she doesn't believe that I was your valet? She even told me that the reason I am here is because I had failed you as a servant of the king. Did I actually fail the crown, Ludwig? Please tell me. I am not afraid of the truth…not anymore._

_And today, I learned one of the strangest things: Elizabeta can talk to animals! Literally, she had brought me to the stable behind the house and started talking to the animals…and they were talking back! In human tongue! The chickens were hitting on me and they were singing with her and everything! It sounded like the parties back at the castle…only louder and more…warm. It almost feels like I was a part of a family._

_But afterward, Natalya found me and I ended up cleaning the entire house on my own. The time that I was doing the chores, I could hear Elizabeta singing from the stable. She has such a beautiful voice…why doesn't Francine let her out and sing? Why does she and her family always want to make fun of her and make her do her bidding? They always make fun of her, even if they do leave me alone…_

_It's as if I don't even exist…but that is better than being manipulated against your will, right?_

**/~+~/**

Elizabeta took a deep breath as she finally walked into the small room that she and Feliciano shared, finished with all the chores and was going to sit down and relax. The boy was already asleep, clearly tired from all the work that he had to do. She sat by his side and stroked his hair, soft and clumped from the sweat that he couldn't wash out.

"_Poor baby."_ She sighed. _"If only there was something I could do to help you."_

"_**You can't help him…but I can."**_

She turned his head around and saw a figure standing in front of her. He had short blond hair and the most beautiful wings that she had ever seen in her life. It was as if he was an angel, sent straight from heaven to guide her…if the smile was anything to indicate…and the gigantic eyebrows.

"W-who are you?"

"_**I am your fairy godmother, Elizabeta."**_

"…but you're a man."

"_**We're genderless, Elizabeta. It doesn't really matter."**_

"…oh. W-what are you doing here?"

"_**I'm here for you, Elizabeta. Whatever wish you have, I will grant."**_

"You can't grant my wish of making Francine better, huh?"

"_**I can't do that. However, I am here to help you achieve what you deserve. For you are a pure being, who deserves a good life."**_

"I-I see…I think."

"_**Do not worry if you don't know what to do now. I will always be here. All you have to do is call me."**_

"Then what is your name?"

"_**Arthur."**_

"…that's…very manly."

"_**Don't ask."**_

The angel vanished in front of her, leaving her along with a sleeping Feliciano. She turned her head back to him and laughed quietly to herself, before turning in for the night. For the first time in a long while, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

**/=+=/**

**Yeah. Elizabeta's supposed to be Cinderella. Feliciano's the main character in a Cinderella story. It'll make sense later.**


	6. The Magic of Genderless Angels

When the mail came in for the day, Feliciano quickly snuck in his letter to the postman before leaving the lobby to make breakfast for the family. He couldn't help but wonder if the letter sounded whiny in a way _(it was the middle of the night, and he was writing by moonlight)_, but decided that he wasn't going to worry about it until Ludwig wrote back. If he ever had the time to do so.

_Strange…it felt like I wasn't alone that night…_ Feliciano looked up. _But I was so sure that Elizabeta was still working…maybe it was just her._

He ignored the thought as he started finishing the food for Natalya. He couldn't help but think that Natalya was scary, with her being slightly psychotic and perhaps even bossier than Francine. Feliciano couldn't help but wonder if she was secretly a serial killer, or turning out to be one. He wouldn't be surprised…scared, but still surprised.

"Feli!"

He turned his head to see Elizabeta smiling back at him, her hands hidden behind her back and a light blush on her face. Feliciano stared at her for a few minutes before giggling and embarrassing her even more.

"What's wrong, Miss Hedervary?"

"Um…I accidentally read one of your letters…"

"I-I had a letter?" Feliciano blushed.

"Y-yeah…it's from the prince…"

"The prince? Oh…" He blinked. "What does it say?"

"I-I think you should read it first."

**/~+~/**

_Hey, Feliciano!_

_Bruder kept telling me that I shouldn't send a letter to you because you're so busy, but I was like __**SCREW THAT**__ and here I am! I hope you are having fun with the girls, even if you are the bitch of the household! I wish I was with girls as often as you, but the king __**keeps insisting…**_

_OK, seriously, I hope you are doing well. Bruder said that you were enjoying yourself, but I seriously thinking that you're lying. Dude, I know that you're the happiest when you're with bruder, and you're not with him so of course you're not happy! I may plan to visit you again just to see if I can smuggle you out!_

_Oh, and don't worry, I'll smuggle out that hot maid chick that works with you. She's quite a looker, don't you agree ;D_

_Your Royal Awesomeness,_

_Gilbert Beillschmidt_

**((There's a weird drawing that kind of looks like the royal seal on the bottom…))**

**/~+~/**

"Heehee…Prince Gilbert thinks you're hot~"

"T-that's pathetic! He was hitting on everyone when he was here!" Elizabeta turned her head away, clearly blushing. "He's such a pervert, isn't he?"

"Um…not that I remember…he just likes women a lot…"

"_**Not surprising…"**_

"D-don't worry about it." Feliciano smiled. "Prince Gilbert's just weird that way…"

"You seemed really happy when you're talking about them."

"They're a part of my life…of course I'm happy when I talk about them." He answered. "B-but I'm also happy when I'm with you, Miss Hedervary…"

"It's just Elizabeta…or even Eliza."

"Right…Eliza." He blinked. "Oh right…the food's done. I have to deliver this."

Elizabeta watched for a few minutes as Feliciano gathered up everything and headed out of the kitchen, leaving her alone for a few minutes. She sighed, wondering what he really was thinking at a time like this.

"He was torn from his former master to this dump…" She sighed.

"_**Should I allow him to return to his former master?"**_

She turned her head and saw that Arthur was standing behind her with its wings out, dusting off his toga like the dust finally caught up to someone in this area.

"No…I don't think he'll want to return to his master as long as I'm here." She answered.

"_**Well then, what should I do?"**_

"Maybe…if he had more opportunities to meet up with him, like a party or something."

"_**I think I can have that arranged…if you excuse me…"**_

She blinked as the angel jumped into the air and vanished into nothingness. Elizabeta could only shrug as she grabbed the bucket that was hidden next to the stove and went to clean the windows for the fifteenth time this week.

**/~+~/**

For the first time since forever, someone else other than Feliciano answered the door. This time, it was Francine, and for some reason she closed the door and sounded like she was the happiest person in the world.

"What is it mother?" Irunya asked.

"The king's having a festival for honoring the war veterans…and we're invited!"

The girls went into a freak out, much to Feliciano's and Elizabeta's surprise. The two sisters ran up the stairs in a major panic as Francine walked up as well, looking at the two servants as they stood at the wall in confusion.

"They said that we're going to be there for the month, so I'm afraid that we're going to have to drag you along as well."

"Ve?"

"So pack up what you can…share a suitcase if you must." Francine sighed. "But you're riding in the back. The carriage is much too small for all five of us to fit."

"That's fine, ma'am…at least for me." Feliciano looked at Elizabeta. "Miss Hedervary?"

"I don't mind either, as long as I get to wear my boots." _Did Arthur really make this happen?_

"All right…we'll leave in an hour. You better be out by then or else we're leaving you."

The both of them nodded and hurried to their small room as Francine sighed, heading into her room to fix her things up as well. Not once did she begin to question why she couldn't have just left the servants at home to fix up the place and feed the animals. But fortunately, she wasn't supposed to.

**/~+~/**

"Ve~~it's weird to think that Madam Francine would let us come with her to the castle for the festival…"

"Yeah, I think so too…" Elizabeta fixed up her travelling outfit. "But let's not question it. God forbid she eats those words and forces us to come back."

"Yeah…" Feliciano could only smile. "At least I can see Ludwig again…if I can."

"I'm not really sure about that. Knowing the king, he'll only let in nobles."

"T-that's true. But I'm not really worried, cause I'm sure that Ludwig's going to let us in!"

Elizabeta could only wonder if what Feliciano was saying was true, before turning to the window and seeing Arthur taking in his next command. He nodded and vanished without a sound, not once alerting him about his presence.

"I bet he will." She answered, finally confident.

"Ve…are you done packing, Elizabeta?"

"Uh, no! Why? Don't tell me you are!"

"I don't have that much stuff to pack." He pointed at the small case of his belongings. "That's all I have…but I have room if you want to put some of your things in here."

Elizabeta couldn't help but feel sorry for him before she took him up for his offer.

**/~+~/**

**Hooray for updates after midterm exams!**


	7. On The Road Again

Francine somewhat wished that they would be prepared before the servants so they could abandon them, but to her dismay they were already grooming the horses for departure, their belongings in the back where they would sit. She couldn't really abandon them now, so she decided that they might as well come along.

"You're sitting with the luggage."

"That's fine." Feliciano answered.

"Ditto." Elizabeta added. "As long as we have something to hold onto."

Francine could only grin as the other two tossed their luggage into the back and headed into the carriage to head off. She headed in as well, prompting the other two to jump on the rafters. The horses were jolted and they headed forward, seeing the mansion they lived in vanish into the hillside.

"Wow…I can't believe that I'm going to see the castle for the first time in forever!" Feliciano's legs started swinging like a little child. "I hope I can see my old friends again!"

"And maybe you'll be allowed to be his servant again!"

"Eh? But Elizabeta, what about you?"

"Who knows? I may be able to join you."

"Oh…because Prince Gilbert thinks you're hot?"

"_**Shut up."**_

Feliciano could only laugh at Elizabeta's blush as the carriage continued to pull itself forward. To Elizabeta's surprise, Feliciano seemed rather intrigued by the things that he was seeing as they went down the path. He was trying to talk to one of the birds _(but failed miserably at it)_ and was staring at a pinecone for at least an hour.

"Have you even been outside the manor?"

"Eh?"

"Back when you were in servitude?"

"Um…o-of course I have!" Feliciano was blushing this time. "Not as much, but I have…"

Elizabeta could only stare at him for a few seconds in confusion before deciding to drop the subject. They continued to sit there in silence as Feliciano observed the life around him, laughing and enjoying himself, not really knowing what was the real cause of all the good luck that was befalling the both of them. She wondered if Arthur was watching them right now.

"Look, over there!" Feliciano pointed over head. "It's the capital city! That's where Ludwig is!"

"Wow…"

"Oh, you've never seen the capital before, haven't you?" He chirped. "It's really beautiful, with tall white buildings and lush greenery as far as the eye can see! You'll love the place, especially when they celebrate holidays!"

"I'm a little interested, actually!"

"You should! Prince Gilbert usually creates the festivals, and he's really decorative!"

"_Is that so…"_

"You're really going to enjoy your stay there, Miss Hedervary!" He chirped. "It's colorful!"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

**/=+=/**

As they pulled into the capital, Elizabeta knew exactly what Feliciano was talking about. The flowers in all the windowsills were color coordinated with the spring and the banners were floating in the air like they were clouds. The entire time, Feliciano was giggling like he was getting younger. She thought that it was rather adorable. The fact that he was still in the maid's dress wasn't helpful either.

They pulled up to the manor the nobles were staying in , and Feliciano heard that there was a small commotion in front of the gate. He turned his head and noticed that some of the guards were talking to Francine, confused that her name wasn't on the list. He was about to get worried when he noticed that Ludwig was passing by behind the gate.

"_Ah! It's Lud-sama! __**LUD-SAMA! Over here!"**_

Ludwig looked up in confusion to see that Feliciano was waving at him from behind the carriage. He walked toward the gate and stared, finally registering everything he was thinking. He turned to the guards and whispered something, finally stopping the fight and allowing them to enter the grounds. Feliciano had literally jumped into his former master's arms by the time they got through.

"Lud-sama! It's so good to see you again!"

"Gah-!" He couldn't help but blush. "I'm…I'm glad to see you again too."

"Ve~~~"

Elizabeta could only see how happy those two were once they were inside the gates, so much so that he forgot that he was with someone else when the carriage rolled away. He quickly let go and started flailing toward the ride with screams, somewhat entertaining the guards that were there.

_Feli…_

**/=+=/**

To their surprise, everyone was going to have a separate room. For one thing, Elizabeta and Feliciano were glad that at least a boy and a girl didn't have to share a room with each other. The weird thing, however, was that the minute they were able to settle into their rooms…

"_**Elizaaaaaa, I miss youuuuuu!"**_

"It's so awkward without a roommate!"

"Will you shut up and help me unload my things?"

"**VEEEEE!** At once, ma'am!"


	8. Dolling Up the Servant

The dresses that the girls were fitting in were painful to fit into, to say the least. Feliciano hadn't had so much trouble fitting in Natalya into a corset in a long time, if ever. Elizabeta ended up having to work on the other two in the same amount of time Feliciano's arms gave out. Francine basically bashed him for a few seconds before deciding to find the place the party was going to be.

"Ve…they're gone…"

"That was quick…" Elizabeta blinked. "Really, really quick…"

"Ve! Maybe I should show you around the castle!"

"_**Eh?**_ Can you actually do that?"

"I'm sure I can! Most of the people know me! They'll accept you too!"

**/=+=/**

"_**VEEEEE! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! I won't trespass ever again!"**_

"Guests aren't allowed into the castle unless they are of noble status!"

"_**VEEEEE! Please don't kill me!"**_

Elizabeta could only stare at the scene as Feliciano was being harassed by two guards he had never seen before to run back to the manor that they were staying at. If it hadn't been for the fact that she had seen him naked before _(don't ask, long story)_, she would've thought he was a woman, maid's dress and all. Hell, he was probably more adorable than she was. Wait, did she really think of that?

"He's a friend of the prince. You can let him through."

The guards stopped and stared at the new voice, making the other two turn and see what was going on. A few feet away, there was a man with lightly combed brown hair and dressed like a nobleman, all white and carrying a strange book in his hand in a language she could not read. Before she knew it, Feliciano jumped into his arms.

"Papa! You're still here!"

"I'm always going to be here as long as the king needs me." He answered, gesturing the guards to get out of the way. "I'm glad to see that you're still alive. Prince Ludwig was right, I see."

"Of course he's right! He's never wrong!" He chirped in response. "Oh, right! Eliza, this is my teacher Roderich Edelstein! He's the one who taught me everything I needed to know to be Lud-sama's servant, and is the future advisor for Prince Gilbert! Teacher, this is Elizabeta Hedervary, a fellow servant!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hedervary." He quietly bowed.

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine." She bowed back.

"Such a noble curtsey…and you are a servant?"

"My father was a noble before we had lost our savings and I fell into servitude."

"Oh, I see." He nodded. "Well then, you certainly have traits of a noble lineage."

"Why thank you."

"Too bad you forgot the majority of it."

"_**What are you-?"**_

"I had never seen a noblewoman fall into servitude this easily." Roderich nodded. "If you have the time, perhaps we can give you a dress for the party."

"Eh? B-but I'm not going to the party!"

"No?"

"Ve…you should go! You're a noblewoman!"

"But-"

"I'm sure that we have enough make-up to make sure that no one recognizes you." He nodded. "If that is what you're thinking."

"Um…"

"Come on, Eliza-chan~"

"…uh…all right."

"_**Yay!"**_

**/=+=/**

Elizabeta was led to another room, away from the other make-up areas, and noticed that someone was already there preparing the make-up for her face. Roderich could only laugh at her expression as the room looked a lot fancier than the ones back at the manor.

"Me and Feliciano will choose a dress for you."

"But Roderich-"

But they were already gone. She could only mumble something to herself as she sat down at one of the tables. Before she knew it, the person in the room turned his head to look right at her. The eyebrows were one massive indication for her not to scream in his face.

"_**You!"**_

"What, you thought I was done granting your wish?" Arthur could only laugh. "You deserve more than enough for the amount of pain that they inflicted upon you."

"So you're the one that made Francine bring us along?"

"Yes." He dusted off some powder.

"And you're the one that allowed Feliciano to bring me into the castle."

"Sort of. He basically wanted to do it himself."

"And you're the one that brought Roderich to us?"

"Actually, no. That happened all by itself." Arthur answered. "So do you want me to work on your eyes first or your hair?"

"Um…I think hair should be first."

"All right. Turn your chair around."

Elizabeta paused for a few minutes before turning the chair around and allowing him to play with her hair. She was really wondering if he knew what he was doing. It was the weirdest thing that she was thinking about, but heck Arthur had magic on his side.

"Here you go, hope you like it."

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_**What the hell is this?"**_

"I thought this looks sophisticated on you!"

"Well, half my hair is missing!"

"All right, all right…I'll just use the easy way out…"

Elizabeta glared at him as he placed his hands on her head, mumbling something as she felt something warm on her scalp. As his hands lifted, she noticed with shock that the new hairstyle that she was given actually worked and was rather beautiful. She never saw herself like this before.

"What is it this time?"

"…_I'm…beautiful."_

"You were always beautiful. You just didn't know it." Arthur smiled. "Now then, let's work on your make-up."

***frightened glance***

"I happen to know how to do make-up! I do it all the time!"

"…you sound like you're secretly a-"

"_**Don't say it."**_

**/=+=/**

"What size is she?"

"She's really small…maybe a 6 or 7…"

"Well, corsets are popular among the ladies…let's get an 8 just to be safe."

"All right."

Roderich stared at him for a few minutes as he chose a dress that would fit Elizabeta. Feliciano was staring at all the dresses, going over every detail like he knew which one would fit her without even looking at it or asking her to wear it later. It was as if he knew everything about dresses.

"I never knew that you knew about women's attire."

"Ve, it's because I've been around women for so long that it kind of rubs on me."

"I see…"

"Though it means that I can only wear women's attire because they can't afford men's clothing."

***gonk***

"It sucks because I really like wearing normal underwear. These things are uncomfortable-"

"_**AHEM.**_ We are currently looking for a dress for Miss Elizabeta."

"Oh, right…" Feliciano nodded. "I think this one will work."

"That simple dress?"

"She likes simplicity…oh, but if you add a lot of these ribbons, it will look a lot fancier!"

"…if you insist."

Feliciano quickly grabbed the dress and ran after Roderich as the both of them headed back to where Elizabeta was. To their surprise, Elizabeta was already done with the make-up and hair and were awaiting them to get her ready. Feliciano started giggling.

"You look really nice, Elizabeta!"

"Oh, thank you." She blushed. "Is that my dress?"

"Of course it is! I took one good look at it and I thought _'this is definitely Elizabeta!'_, so I hope you like it!"

"Wow…it's so thin…not unlike the other dresses I've seen."

"That's why I thought it was so you!" He smiled. "And we got it in a bigger size, so it'll be comfortable for you to wear!"

"That's great and all, but…" Roderich sighed. "How are we going to put this on?"

"Eh?"

"She has her make-up and hair done. If she puts on the dress now, at least one of those things are going to be ruined."

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Uwa!"

**/=+=/**

**On a personal note, you guys should seriously watch Angel Beats. It's a good show…and that's all I can tell you.**


	9. First Day at the Party

Somehow they were able to get her into the dress without too much hassle or messing up of the make-up. Elizabeta was glad that they were able to pull it off, because a few minutes later they were able to get her ready to make an entrance to the first party.

"Oh, this is going to be awkward…"

"What, you've never went to a formal ball before?" Roderich stared at her. "You must have."

"My father was away from the castle when I was born. He never wanted me to see a party until I reached of age."

"I see…how very noble of him." Roderich smiled. "Well, a true noblewoman should not arrive without an entourage."

"Eh?"

"Feliciano, all I can offer you are some of my old robes. Will those fit?"

"Ve? Of course it will! I haven't grown at all!"

"_That shouldn't be a good thing…"_

A few minutes later, he walked out of the bedroom wearing blue robes and looking rather mature for his young age…and masculine, which was something Elizabeta never thought he would achieve. Roderich could only prop his glasses, yet another achievement reached.

"Now then, shall we get going?"

**/=+=/**

The three of them headed to the ball room, the two servants intimidated by the amounts of nobles surrounding them. Roderich stared at the both of them as they tried their best to make sure sweat doesn't drip into their eyes.

"Are you two all right?"

"We'll be fine…" She answered. "Just nervous."

"That's quite all right. Many people feel nervous at their first ball. I would stay with you, but I have some business to attend to." Roderich turned away. "Take care of her, Feliciano."

"I will!"

Roderich headed out, leaving the two of them alone to be in the party. With a deep breath, they walked into the ball, hidden deep within the crowd so that no one else could see them. Feliciano was hopeful of that: if he stayed with her, then Elizabeta will be safe, but on the off chance that Francine or her daughters find them, even if Elizabeta is unrecognizable…

"Um, Feli?"

"Yes, Miss Hedervary?"

"I just thought of something…I know that it's hard to know it's me with all this make-up on…but what if Francine finds you with me?"

"Um…" Feliciano had the same thought problem. "Maybe if…you don't respond to Elizabeta?"

"Like a false name?"

"Yes~" Feliciano smiled. "Like maybe…Catherine? You look like a Catherine."

"…I guess it will have to do for now…" Elizabeta sighed. "But I really don't want you to be the only one who gets in trouble."

"It's fine, E- Catherine." He cleared his throat. "I always get in trouble. The last thing that I need to happen is that you get dragged with me."

"Feli…"

"Please, Catherine. Enjoy yourself. I cannot enjoy this party." He smiled. "I am only a servant, with no drop of noble blood, so I cannot enjoy this festival."

She was about to say something when a few men went to her, talking her away to the point where Feliciano was clearly alone. He turned his head around, having no idea what in the world to do in a party _(all he knew was how to serve someone, and that would completely give him away)_. Maybe he should make sure that Elizabeta is alright-

"I'm sorry, but this is my first time dancing."

"_Aw…do you want me to show you how, mademoiselle?"_

"_**I'm fine."**_

Nope, she'll be fine.

"Feli? Is that you?"

He must've jumped into the stratosphere, for a few seconds later he had regained consciousness and realized that Ludwig was staring back at him, wearing his general's attire. The badges that were attached to his belt almost blinded him…if that was where the sparkles were coming from.

"Oh, Ludwig!" He laughed quietly. "I didn't see you there."

"I almost didn't see you either." He answered, confused. "I didn't know you were in here."

"Well, Roderich met up with me and Elizabeta…and invited us to the party." Feliciano clapped his hands together. "She's right over there, talking to those noblemen."

"That was…?" Ludwig was surprised. "I barely recognized her."

"That was kind of the plan." Feliciano waved his hand. "We're staying apart from each other because while she's hard to recognize…I am…"

"_**Not."**_

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm sorry that your first experience at a noble ball is at the most boring party we have every thrown." Ludwig looked around. "But then again, my father was the one who organized everything."

"Not Prince Gilbert?" Feliciano blinked and tilted his head. "I thought he would run the party. I told Elizabeta that she would see just how Prince Gilbert loves parties."

"Well, he's throwing one later tonight, and_…ugh…"_

"Ve?"

"_Don't show up…just don't show up…stay innocent, please…"_

"Eh?"

Feliciano didn't realize it before, but Ludwig looked rather nice in his general's uniform. He started wondering what he had achieved to get so many badges on his belt, and the color gold complimented his rather peachy skin. And could he see his abs from underneath the coat, or was it just him…?

"Feliciano? Are you all right?"

"Eh? Oh, right." He held one of the badges. "When did you get this?"

"Well, there was an organization that wanted to start a war between our kingdom and the next, but me and my men were able to exploit it and stop it before they were able to overthrow the fragile kingdom." He answered. "I received this and was knighted afterward."

"Oh…I wish I was there when you were knighted…"

"It wasn't that interesting." Ludwig smiled. "It was me obtaining my own blade and a party as boring as this."

"Oh…well, I rather take a boring party than cleaning the windows."

"I guess you would." He straightened himself. "Um…are you hungry?"

"Ve? Oh, yeah." How did he forget being hungry? That sounds rather stupid. "I don't know when the food is being served."

"It's going to be in a few minutes, but I can sneak in something from the kitchen early if you want."

"Really? Thank you, but I really shouldn't-"

"I insist."

"All right~"

Ludwig rolled his eyes and laughed as he led Feliciano to the back of the party hall, hiding him from the others who might figure out who he was. Unbeknownst to them, Arthur was watching them from afar with a confused look on his face and a drink in his hand.

_Why is Feliciano so close to Ludwig? I am well aware that men who are friends with each other are not this open and clingy…it's almost as if they're dating._ Arthur cocked an eyebrow. _No man can be that clingy…unless Feliciano is a woman?_

**/=+=/**

**Just assume Arthur knows everyone's name in existence.**


	10. The Night Afterward

"I'm sorry, Feliciano. They won't let you have a small taste just yet."

"Ve…that's all right. I'm not that hungry; I can wait."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"If you insist…" Ludwig looked a little worried.

"Ve? What's wrong?"

"…you just look a little…_**thin.**_ Have you been eating at all?"

"You sound like my mother."

"I can't help it. Someone has to worry for you."

"Why? I'm perfectly all right."

"Sorry. I guess old habits do die hard."

"Yeah…you always love to worry about me, don't you?"

"I-I don't love worrying about you. I have other things to do in this castle, like helping mein bruder work his way to taking my father's throne."

"Eh? You're not going to be king?"

"I've already tried to prove myself worthy…and I failed." Ludwig was a little embarrassed. "Gilbert passed with flying colors. The thing is that my father deems me to be better off as the head of the Royal Army."

"That sounds like a big responsibility."

"Yes…I'm practically destined to be my brother's right hand in politics. Though I will admit that I prefer following orders than issuing them…"

"Why?"

"I-I don't know either…perhaps I'm a better soldier than anything…"

"It doesn't matter, Ludwig. It just means that Gilbert can place his complete trust in his army!"

"Feliciano…"

"No one can destroy the army with you in charge! You're the best commander I've ever met!"

"Feli, I'm only a knight. And I'm the only future commander you know!"

"Oh…well, you're still the best out there…" Feliciano shyly started drawing circles on the ground with his toes. "Really!"

"Well…thank you for your confidence in me." Ludwig answered. "Hearing it from you makes me feel a little better."

"Eh? Why?"

"Cause unlike everyone else I know, I have to prove to you that I'm a good knight. You've never seen me in battle, correct?"

"No…and I really hope I don't. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"No one does, Feli."

"True…true…"

They stood together in a strange silence, already done telling each other their stories and were now wondering what they should be doing right now. Suddenly, a knock of the kitchen door startled them, and they turned their heads to see that the chef had poked his head through to them.

"In case you two are curious, we are about to serve the food."

"Oh, right." Ludwig smiled. "You're still hungry?"

"Oh…I almost forgot…"

"How can you forget being hungry?"

"I-I don't know." _How did I forget…?_

Ludwig walked forward back to the party hall, Feliciano following him like a dog and laughing the entire time _(leaving Ludwig rather confused on what was going on)_. The entire time, Arthur was standing away from sight, watching them and shaking in disgust.

_My goodness, he really is a man, with no sense of masculinity at all. And why is he so close to him like that, it's almost as if they're lovers._ Arthur stuck out his tongue. _That's sick. Men shouldn't be that…feminine._

**/=+=/**

It didn't take long for the feast to be finished and for the midnight ball to arrive. Feliciano and Elizabeta didn't bother; they quietly fixed her hair to normal and snuck back to their rooms. Since Elizabeta and Feliciano were separated, he thought it was only necessary for him to escort her to her room.

"No, really…you don't have to-"

"It's my duty, Miss Hedervary." Feliciano laughed. "Don't worry about me."

"Seriously, I have to worry about you sometimes. You're too nice for your own good."

"Isn't that better than being too mean, Miss Hedervary?"

"No, not re-"

"Please, just rest for today. Francine is not going to bother us as long as this festival goes on, so you have all the time to rest."

"…if you insist."

Elizabeta lightly closed the door behind her, allowing Feliciano to wander around the halls toward his room. He hadn't seen this place before; perhaps it had been created when he was absent? The unchipped marble at his feet seemed to indicate that.

"_Wow…this whole place looks so beautiful…I guess the castle really has changed."_

How long has it been since he had been here? When he was a child? If he remembered his birthday, that would make him…twenty now. He was taken away when he was eight. That would make it almost twelve years since he had seen anyone…including Ludwig.

"Ludwig sure had changed…" Feliciano chuckled. "I don't remember him being so…muscly."

The last time that he had seen the prince, they were almost the same height and around the same body mass…scrawny and fragile. Feliciano couldn't help but wonder if he would've been as muscular as Ludwig if he had stayed with him in the castle. He stared at himself in the window sill and couldn't help but imagine him with the same muscles as Ludwig. It scared him, so he stopped thinking about it.

"But he's still just as kind as he used to be…almost as if he didn't change at all..." He paused. "He didn't change? He did change? I'm confused now…"

Feliciano started thinking about it as he headed back to his room. If anything, Ludwig sort of looked like he had aged accordingly…and the only thing that changed was how he combed up his hair. Now he was curious about what he looked like now with his hair down…

"_Veeee…why am I thinking so much about him?"_

He started mumbling something to himself as he headed back to his room, rubbing his hair and trying to distract himself with what he should be doing now. Unknown to him, Arthur was watching him the entire time, and was a little weirded out by what he was saying.

_He was blushing when he was talking about Ludwig…only __girls__ talk like that…unless he's falling in __**love**__ with him…_ Arthur cringed. _God, no! Only girls should fall in love with guys!_

He paused, seeing Feliciano head back to his room.

_Well, let's not judge him too quickly. He's probably confused from living with girls for so long…_ Arthur nodded, heading to Elizabeta's room. _He'll have to live around men for the rest of this month for him to regain his masculinity…yeah, that's what he needs._


	11. Lobbies and Gardens, Dear Christ!

Feliciano opened his eyes and was actually shocked that he was in a soft bed instead of his plank of wood back home. He sat up slowly, remembering the festival that he was there to celebrate and nodded in happiness as he quickly got up to get dressed. He opened the door and remembered that he only had two outfits that he brought: his servant garb and the uniform that Roderich had given him yesterday. Knowing that he had a façade to try and keep up, he knew that he had to get another outfit if only to look like a fancy servant. Maybe he can mix and match…

He heard a knock on the door, surprising him. He turned his head around and realized that someone was at his bedroom door. Before he knew it, he was thinking that it was Ludwig and pranced toward it humming the entire time and practically throwing the door open with that smile on his face.

"Well, you seem happy."

"E-eh?" He froze. "Oh, Francine…uh- Madam Francine."

"That's better." Francine cleaned off her dress. "I was hoping that you would be in your room."

"Is there something you need, ma'am?"

"Yes, actually. We need a servant to escort us to the throne."

"The…throne?"

"That's where the king will meet with us, of course!"

"Oh…right. Where are the others?"

"They are coming here." Francine pulled out her fan. "So you will do as I ask, am I right?"

"…yes, ma'am."

**/=+=/**

The truth of the matter was that he had hoped that Francine would forget that he was there when she was in the presence of the king and sneak away to explore the rest of the castle. Feliciano knew that once she saw King Kaltherzig she wouldn't pay attention to him. Hopefully.

Feliciano had that thought in mind as he led the three women to the throne room, not one of them questioning how he knew of its location in a castle he "never saw before". He preferred it that way, however, as he finally reach the crowded throne room. From the other side he could barely see the outline of the old and wise king sitting on his throne, somewhat hidden from view on his balcony. To his surprise, he was alone.

"Ah…finally, I get to see the king again~" Francine smiled. "After the older brother had left the throne…"

_That's right…_ Feliciano thought. _After the old king had left the throne, he moved all the nobles that he thought was dangerous outside of the capital to prevent an overthrow…_

"He hasn't changed a bit." Francine nodded.

"He still looks like an old fart." Natalya spat.

"You don't see the beauty beneath the aged exterior." Francine smiled. "You'll understand one day."

Feliciano paused for a minute, watching the family gather together to get as close to the king as possible, and then slowly let the other nobles gather in front of him in order to separate contact and allow him to leave _(with a valid excuse, mind you)_. After a few seconds, he could barely see them and deemed it a good opportunity to leave. Before he knew it, he heard a faint laugh behind him and the sound of light feet.

"_**VEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

"Oh, aren't you the cute one? I haven't seen you before!"

"Well…I-I'm new here."

"Oh, new here? Explains why I haven't seen you before!"

"Oh hold on there, woman! You can't scare him like that, he'll run away~"

"Eh?"

"Quite a catch, I see! What's your name?"

"F-Feliciano?"

"You sound like you don't know your own name."

***ahem*** Well, if there were going to be ladies. "Well, would you rather have my name or would you rather call me yours?"

"_**HAH!**_ Such a gentleman!"

_This is so awkward…_ Thank god Gilbert had taught him how to talk to women…when he was eight.

And yes, Feliciano doesn't understand that either.

**/=+=/**

"Feli-chan? Are you in here?"

Elizabeta stood there in confusion as she looked around Feliciano's room, wondering if he was hiding somewhere. But alas, the entire room was empty. She stood up from looking underneath the bed and started rubbing the back of her head. Where would he go…?

"Who are you looking for?"

She jumped in shock and turned around, sighing with relief once she noticed that it was only Arthur in his angel garb. To her surprise, a random maid had walked right on by him, not even batting an eyelash at the weird man staring her down. Arthur could only laugh.

"Don't worry. I only let whoever I want see me in my true form."

"Oh…right." She stared at him. "Where did Feliciano go?"

"I wanted him to enjoy himself at the party, so I led him to the party they had today." Arthur nodded. "He needs to hang out with other women."

"But he already hangs out with me…and the 'lovely ladies' you saw earlier."

"I meant normal, ordinary women." He stated. "He's been clingy to a lot of men, so I thought that it would be a nice change of pace."

"By giving him more women to talk to?"

"It makes sense in context."

"O…kay…"

"Anyway, I have prepared your dress for today. Perhaps you wish to go for a walk?"

**/=+=/**

Feliciano was barely able to get the girls off his back as he fled to the garden maze. He didn't know why he ran into the rose maze without even thinking about it, but before he knew it he was lost. As he wandered around the maze, he couldn't help but remember the last time he walked into the maze. He became lost around the same moment, and…who found him again?

He heard a slight rustling behind him, and he immediately freaked out and darted his head around to find the source. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the location of where the place was and had to give up, focusing on trying to find the pathway back out.

_Ve…I feel so alone…_ He shivered. _L-Ludwig…anyone?_

He felt a slap on his back, and he yelped, turning his head and sighing only at the image of Gilbert laughing back at him. The prince always knew how to scare him like that…maybe he didn't change at all over these long years. That alone made Feliciano sad…

"You lost here or something?" Gilbert laughed.

"Yes…" He stared at him. "I thought you'd be at the party?"

"Yeah, well…uncle started talking and I got extremely bored, so I ditched." He shrugged. "Believe me, his lectures are _**boring as hell."**_

"I wouldn't know…"

"Oh yeah, true." Gilbert laughed again. "But then again, that could be a good thing!"

"Really?"

"You'd probably fall asleep during one of his talks, and then someone's gonna start getting ideas…"

"Ve?"

"Nevermind. Let's just get out of this place."

"All right…say, how is Ludwig today?"

"He's on patrol duty." He answered. "Then again, he's free the rest of the festival, so it's a nice break for him."

"Ve? He doesn't like parties?"

"He loves to _**work**_, man! That guy is all about getting plans out of the way and making sure that it goes his way. Makes him a perfect general, but a horrible party person!" Gilbert chuckled. "I don't think he knows how to handle a general conversation!"

"Ve? But I was able to handle him just fine…"

"Dude, you know him."

"But we haven't talked to each other for so-"

"Deny nothing, Feli. You know him no matter how far apart you guys were." Gilbert waved his hands around. "Then again, he probably got all workaholic trying to find you."

"Find me?"

"He was trying to find you this entire time. You didn't know that?"

"I-I did, but-"

"You know how long? Ever since he got into the Royal Army." Gilbert looked up. "Ten, eleven maybe?"

"**That young?"**

"He can surprise you. There's a reason why he's a general at the ripe age of twenty!"

_Wow…_

Feliciano had no idea how to comprehend it as the two of them finally found a way outside of the maze, chuckling at how easy it was to find it and proceeding to head into the castle _(preferably not near the throne)_. Meanwhile, Arthur was passing by, just losing Elizabeta.

_Now he's hitting on Gilbert? What a whore!_ Arthur shivered. _That does it. Feliciano is no ordinary man…he's one of __those__ guys…_

He shrugged.

_But if Elizabeta can trust him…I guess that means I can change him…_ He nodded. _That's the only thing I can do now…change him for the best._


	12. One Night For a Break

The next week went by uneventful. Feliciano and Ludwig hadn't bumped into each other, as he was forced to escort Francine and her family around after leaving them in the throne room. Elizabeta would have wondered about it if it had not left her alone to wander around on her own merits. She had been deemed a noble already despite her poor origins, and not one of them knows her true name. It was the time of her life, really.

On the other hand, Feliciano was being bombarded with women. He could not find himself being alone for half a second without another girl hounding on him. He had to admit that it did feel a bit weird: he never had so much attention centered on him before. What's worse is that the girls were actually kind of cute, and he had no idea how to react to them.

That translates to "he felt no attraction to them".

When he was with Gilbert during one of his alone times, he had mentioned that there is a chance that he would find the one girl that will make him complete in this place. Feliciano had no idea what it meant, but to Gilbert it translated to "a war feeling in the chest" and "the burning sensation of the cheeks". To Feliciano, it sounded like the girl was going to set him on fire. That didn't sound very pleasant. Nonetheless, he felt terrified around the women for the rest of the week.

It was the middle of the night where he finally had the time to get away from it all. He was on the second floor of the guest manor, watching the party from the outside of the second story window and grateful that he finally had a moment to himself. Feliciano could barely see himself in the reflection, hidden by the lights of the building and the torches in the gardens, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was just weirder than everyone else…not being attracted to women and all.

_It's weird…maybe I have a different image in attractive women?_ He blinked. _But Elizabeta is different from those girls, and I don't like her…_

He stared at the image in the window, thinking for a few minutes, when he realized that another image had appeared behind him. Feliciano almost screamed and turned around, sighing when he realized that it was only Ludwig, staring at him in confusion at what he was looking at.

"Is something wrong?" Ludwig asked.

"No…not really…" Feliciano answered, nodding. "I'm just happy that I have a break."

"A break? From what?"

"A lot of girls at the party think I'm cute…" He blushed. "I don't really know how to handle all their attention…"

"No?"

"Well, the last time I was around a lot of girls, they were telling me what to do…" He blinked. "I never really had a conversation with anyone beside Elizabeta…"

"Not even me?"

"I-I mean female wise."

"Oh. That does seem weird for me to understand…you're surrounded by women."

"I don't get it either." Feliciano turned his head away. "But I just go with it. If it hadn't been for your brother, I wouldn't know how to handle them."

"_Mein bruder...? Really…?"_ Ludwig had to rub his forehead. _"Him?"_

"Ve? What's wrong with him?"

"…nothing, I guess." He sighed. "I mean, he is a good person…"

"That was actually something I want to ask you." Feliciano blinked. "Why aren't you going to be king? You're the son of the current king, and…well, Gilbert is…"

"Yes, Gilbert is the son of the exiled king, and I had wondered why my father allowed him to stay…but I'm a little glad that he didn't leave." Ludwig smiled. "He is a much better future king than I'll ever be."

"Eh? He is?"

"You don't really know it, but once he ascends the throne, you'll understand." The prince smiled. "He is nothing like the former dictator…"

"_That's good…"_

Feliciano found himself shivering at the thought of another one like him. He had seen the cruel king before, in all his glory. He really was a scary man, especially when he was on his bad side. All Feliciano could do was rub his cheek, remembering the pain that used to be there…

He felt light fingertips on his hand, and he paused, looking up to see a concerned Ludwig staring back at him. Feliciano had never seen Ludwig so concerned before, and for some reason it made him look older than usual…almost like that of a kingly age. Why was his face burning up…?

"…Gilbert…"

"Hm?"

"…Gilbert mentioned that you were looking for me for a long time…" He blinked. "Is that true?"

"Of course it's true." Ludwig answered. "You were one of the few friends that I ever had…I was destroyed when I lost you."

His chest is feeling warm…

"I didn't get it either when I thought about it…but back then it was the only reason why I wanted to be in the army. They were the only people allowed out of the kingdom." Ludwig looked out of the window. "I just wanted to know that you were alive, and safe…"

"Well…I was…" Feliciano looked down. "Just with that family until you came around…"

Ludwig stared at him in confusion. Feliciano did not sound convincing with that statement, but he didn't bother to question it. Instead, he allowed himself to stare at the smaller man who was wondering why he was staring back at him with watering eyes.

"You need to sleep. You look tired."

"Ve? Oh, all right." He blushed. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course. I'll look for you."

Ludwig's hand lowered as he turned and walked away, leaving Feliciano to stand away staring at him, holding the hand that he had touched. His whole body seemed to increase in temperature: burning cheeks, shaking chest, twitching fingertips…

…

…

…

…

…

…

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…

…

…

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…

"_**UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I'm on fiiiiirrreeee!"**_

Feliciano turned around and ran to his room, unaware that Arthur had been listening the entire time. He clenched his fists before vanishing into the air.

**/=+=/**

**Man, I wanted to update this so badly. Not because it had been a while, but because I accidentally watched a documentary about the infamous "Westborough Baptist Church". It is hate-filled messages like theirs that make me write these stories filled with homosexual relationships. Seriously, a man can love a woman, but a man can't love another man the same way? Apparently only a certain kind of love is accepted in these parts.**

**I would mention the whole **_**"if we accept the marriage between two men, then people will start marrying their dogs"**_** argument, but seeing as how there's already a marriage between men and **_**rocks**_** and **_**dolphins**_**, I find it moot to mention.**


	13. A Breakfast for Everyone!

Feliciano barely had the energy to open his eyes when he woke up. Part of him was wondering why that was _(perhaps he was losing his early bird status)_, but then again he was wondering why his ears were ringing and there was something pounding at his head.

"_VeEeEeEeE…dizzy…"_

He could barely remember someone mentioning on how one of the punch bowls was "spiked", whatever that was. He thought it meant that there were spiky needles in them, so he literally scanned every cup he got to make sure there wasn't anything sharp in it. All of them were fine, so…what the heck does "spiked" mean?

Someone started knocking on the door, making the ringing in his ears even worse. With a small sigh, he tried to push away the voices and headed to the door, surprised to see a smiling Gilbert on the other side. He had no idea what he said, only knowing that whatever he said made the ringing even worse.

"Hey, Feli-chan! What's wrong with you?"

"…_ringing…loud…pain…"_

"Ah…had a drink of the spiked juice, didn't cha?"

"…_what's spiked?"_

"You don't know what-? And you drank it anyway?"

"_I-I meant that someone had needles in the punch…"_

"…it means alcohol, Feli."

"Eh?"

"There was alcohol in the drink. That's what spiked means."

"…I-I don't get it…"

"Dude, you're clearly hung over. You need to eat something light."

"_Ve? Like what?"_

"Breakfast, man! Here, you're coming with me! My treat!"

Feliciano had no idea what was going on, but before he knew it Gilbert was dragging him through the hallway and past the gardens to the dining hall. It had been a while since he had been in the dining hall with the royal family, and he had never actually talked with the current king before. It was rather unnerving to figure out how to address him.

"Hey, don't worry about him, man!"

"Ve?"

"You were totally worried about addressing uncle, weren't you? Yeah, that's right! I know all about you even after our gap apart!" He laughed. "He's heard all about you from bruder, and he's really looking forward to meeting you!"

"I-is that why you're bringing me to him?"

"No. I just wanted to drag you around to see how much bruder enjoyed it."

"B-but Ludwig didn't drag me around!"

"How about how much you like following him around? I swear, you were like a _**puppy**_ following its master!"

"_B-but he was my master…"_

"Actually, you know where the dining hall is, right? I want to go pick up someone."

"Uh…O-OK."

Feliciano watched as the young man pranced away, leaving him alone in the hallway. He turned around and walked on, hoping that the prince was right on that. Sure enough, he saw a familiar door standing right in front of him. If he leaned in closer, he could see a familiar scratch on it. He was surprised that it wasn't replaced…

"You must be Feliciano. My son has told me a lot about you."

He froze and turned around, seeing the King standing a few feet away from him. He looked older than from afar, with yellow hair streaked with a few gray hairs, but he still looked so much like Ludwig. It was so weird, talking to him like this…alone…

"N-n-nice to meet you…sir." He bowed. "I-I am him."

"No need for such formalities. You are a friend here." He smiled. "A valet of my son, I believe?"

"N-not anymore…I'm just a simple servant to a wealthy family." Feliciano bowed again. "And…I've been invited by Prince Gilbert to join you for breakfast…"

"Well, the table is always so big with just the three of us…you're more than welcome to."

"R-really?" He paused. "I-I mean, you're too kind."

The King merely laughed as he opened the door, allowing him to enter. The dining hall looked different than before, a bright gold instead of a royal red tint in the walls. It was almost as if he had entered a totally different palace, not the one that he was used to.

"Red seemed too harsh on these walls, given the…circumstances." The King sighed. "Gold just makes the place brighter."

"I…see…" Feliciano turned around. "It does look…brighter…"

There was a moving of the door, and he turned his head to see Ludwig at the entrance, wearing a simple outfit that seemed to still scream general. Nevermind the fact that the first couple of buttons weren't fastened up, revealing the top of his chest. It looked rather…good on him…

"Ludwig! We have a guest!"

"…_mn…"_ He sounded half awake. _"Don't tell me Gilbert brought in another noblewoman-"_

And then he looks up.

…

…

…

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…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_**VE!"**_

"_**GAH!"**_ He started buttoning up his shirt. "F-father! Why didn't you warn me _sooner?"_

"Because I just saw the poor boy a few seconds ago! Look, you traumatized him!"

"I wha-?"

All he saw was Feliciano trying desperately not to look at the general _(more importantly, his chest)_, blushing heavily in confusion. Ludwig quickly started fixing his outfit, not looking at the both of them and quietly wondering why Feliciano doesn't want to look at him.

"Why are you so embarrassed, Feliciano?" The King looked at him.

"_N-nothing important."_ He answered. _"I was…just thinking about something…"_

The King stared at them for a few seconds before signaling one of the maids to escort Feliciano into one of the chairs. It felt awkward, him being the one to be served, but the boy went with it anyway. Soon, the door opened up to reveal Gilbert's new guest.

"Hey, I thought you wanted a big breakfast!"

"That doesn't mean that you have to kidnap me from my room!"

"Ve? Elizabeta?"

"Feli?"

She walked into the room dressed in a lacy dress, and was shocked at the man that was sitting down in confusion. Before they could say anything, she was escorted to her seat and was served breakfast. Gilbert plopped right next to her, making her facepalm and start eating.

…

…

…

…

…

…

"This is good…!"

"That's the food of kings~" Gilbert grinned.

"Ve…this really is good~" Feliciano laughed. "I miss having this food."

"You had it yesterday at the party!" The albino prince started shaking his fork. "Don't you remember?"

"I had to leave early to get something for Miss Francine."

"Oooh…dude, you have to start eating then."

"O-OK."

"_**Don't start egging him!"**_ She scolded. "You know him, don't you? He'll do anything you ask him to!"

"_D-don't say that-!"_

Too late.

*ahem* "We should be eating breakfast now?"

"All right, all right…I just wanted to have a little fun."

"Seriously, bruder. Sometimes you act a third of your age."

"_Makes you wonder why he's going to be the future king."_ Elizabeta spat.

The King made no comment, watching the four of them complain to each other in weird ways to the point where the food was being ignored half the time. Feliciano tried his best not to take part in the conversation, eating a few of the meatballs and watching Elizabeta stand her ground against the prince. He always thought she could do that, but he never knew that it could happen like this…

"_Seriously, we can never have a decent breakfast with guests…"_ Ludwig muttered.

"_Well, he was lively when he was young…"_ Feliciano added, eating another meatball. _"He hasn't changed."_

"_No, I guess not."_

The smaller man took a chance to look at Ludwig, and noticed that he still looked rather regal in appearance despite the fact that he was in "commoner's clothing" _(as common as the royals can afford, really)_. He looked back down to his plate and blushed.

There was a strange scuffling, and he heard one of the maids trip over something and hit his chair, sending him over the side. It wouldn't be a problem if he hadn't hit his head on the side of the chair next to him on the way down. Everyone stood up as he collapsed on the ground, his head ringing with pain. _Where did that come from?_

He heard someone trying to talk to him, but he didn't hear any coherent words. From the corner of his eyes, he saw something glint and move toward his head. Before he could react, he heard something slam into the table and someone carry him to a sitting position. Finally, his mind started to clear up and he saw what was going on.

Ludwig was holding onto him, trying to see if he could wake him up. Gilbert had somehow jumped over the table and grabbed the shiny thing that he barely noticed, which he later realized was the table knife. He cringed and clung onto Ludwig.

"…_OK?"_

"…_yes…I'm…fine…"_ He sounded dizzy. _"My head just hurts a little…"_

"Do you need anything?" Elizabeta was rubbing his back.

"…_I just need to sit up…"_

They sat there for a few minutes, Feliciano leaning on Ludwig's shoulder for a few minutes while the maid was apologizing profusely on what had just happened. Ludwig felt warm to the touch, sitting there and feeling him rub his arm so that the blood can go back through his system. The strange feeling came back again, but he was too dizzy to get up and put it out, so he closed his eyes and let the fire consume him.

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"_Geez, why did I think that was going to work?"_


	14. A Small De Tour

The breakfast went off without any other event, and the two of them were given a rather formal tour of the castle _(Roderich was asked to run the party on the King's behalf)_, even places Feliciano had never seen before. Nonetheless, he was surprised at everything that had changed during his separation. Elizabeta was wondering why that was.

"_Hey, my liege…"_ She turned to Gilbert. _"What exactly is the history between Ludwig and Feliciano, anyway?"_

"_You wanna know?"_

"_Of course. I only know a little."_

"_All right."_ He grabbed her. "I'm bringing her on a private tour!"

"Ve? You?" Feliciano looked worried. "Why?"

"Because I'm awesome that way!" He winked. "Well, we're off!"

"W-what?"

The two of them headed out in the other direction, leaving Feliciano alone with his former master. He risked turning around and looking at him, seeing him wonder if leaving him with a woman was a good idea at all. Ludwig did look rather interesting when he looked serious…he could almost look at it forever…

"Feli?"

"V-ve?"

"Are you OK? You seem out of it."

"N-no…I'm fine." He blushed. "I was just…wondering if Elizabeta was going to be OK."

"She'll be fine, I think." The general stated. "She seems like a strong young woman."

"I guess…" Feliciano nodded. "Yes, she is a strong person isn't she? Stronger than me…"

"Why do you say that?"

"If I was a strong person, I wouldn't be a servant to Madame Francine…and _I would've been able to find you and not make you waste all of your time…"_

"What were you supposed to do? You were only a child."

"But I could've, right?"

"…yes…but you would've been hurt. I just know it." He sighed. "If anything, I'm just glad that you're alive. It's almost as if someone was watching over you…"

"It could've been you, you know." Feliciano smiled. "I remember thinking about you all the time when we were apart…"

If he was looking at him, he would've seen the light blush / shock that crossed his face. However, he was trying to hide the blush that crossed his cheeks as well. After a few minutes, they turned toward each other and nodded slowly.

"You're a brave man, Feliciano."

"_Um…thank you."_

**/=+=/**

"So that's what happened."

"Basically." Gilbert nodded. "They were each other's only friends, long before I came along."

"No wonder Ludwig was looking for him this entire time." Elizabeta sighed. "Wait, what did the King think about it?"

"He wanted him to be happy, but he didn't want to crush his hopes either, so when he was young he used a bit of his army to try and find him." Gilbert shrugged. "Once he became of age, he did it himself."

"Wow…he really cares for him, doesn't he?"

"It's a Ludwig thing, I guess." He answered with a laugh. "But you know what? I think it's cute."

"Cute? But he was looking for a friend, not a girl or anything."

"What's the difference? A guy can care for a friend more than a girl, right?"

"In the same _**way?"**_

"What, like guy-on-guy? In the case of those two…" Gilbert rubbed his chin. **"I LIKE IT!"**

"Like what?"

"Think about it~ a guy as small and frail like Feliciano in the arms of a strong protector like Ludwig…"

"Hm…"

…

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…

…

"_L-Lud…we shouldn't…not here…"_

"_Feli, it'll be all right, there's no one here…besides, by the way that you're shaking, you wanted this too, didn't you…"_

"…_Lud-sama…"_

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…

"By the amount of blood leaving your nose, I say you like the image."

"I want to see the sexiness. Now."

"_**NOW**_ you're talking!"

**/=+=/**

"Come to think of it…you look a little different."

"Ve?"

"You used to have a bit of muscle on you. Now you look thin and…" Ludwig rubbed his face to hide his cheeks. _**"Feminine."**_

"I-I think it's because of Madame Francine. She was known in the city for humiliating anyone with the male gene inside them…" He spun around. "Guess I'm no exception."

Ludwig was only rubbing his head as he was wondering why Feliciano didn't seem to mind the fact that he had his muscles replaced with what looked like hips and the most feminine figure he had ever seen on a man. For some reason, he looked oddly cute…

Before they knew it, something was rumbling a few feet away from them. Feliciano looked up in confusion and saw as one of the statues had broken off and was now falling toward him. He felt someone hold his arm, and five seconds later he felt his back crash into the ground. His vision was obscure, but he could barely see that someone had pushed him out of the way from the fallen statue…

"_L-Lud-?"_

He looked up and noticed that he was over him, his blond hair glowing in the sunlight. He was pinned to the ground, overpowered by the general that hovered over his fragile frame. After a few minutes, that statement had registered in both of their heads. Ludwig flung himself off, his face completely red.

"S-shit! I'm sorry…I didn't mean to-"

"_I-it's all right…"_ Feliciano blushed, turning his head around. _"I'm not hurt or anything…"_

"That's good…" Ludwig smiled, just as the servants were rushing to their aid. "I was worried about you…and I guess I acted on instinct."

"I-instinct?" He never heard that before.

"Of course. You're one of the closest friends I ever had. I'll do anything to protect you."

Feliciano had no idea what to make of those words. Before he knew it, the servants were pulling him away to see if there were any scars on him. He wasn't even paying attention to the fact that they also wanted to see Feliciano as well. His face was completely red.

_He wants to protect me…_ His body continued to rage on fire. _Why am I thinking about this…?_

…

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…

"_Holy crap, that was hot."_

"_It's more awesome than hot, Eliza."_

"_No it's not. It's hot."_

"…_fine, I'll give you that."_


	15. Into Your Own Hands

Later that day, Feliciano had to tend to the needs of his masters. He was a little sad that he never saw Ludwig that day, but he was only content with the fact that he got to spend his morning with his old friend. Remembering when he saved him from the statue only made his face burn a bright red.

"You're lagging behind, Feliciano!"

"Uwa…sorry, madame!"

The boy quickly charged behind, holding all of the flowers that they were going to put in their hair for the final ball. That night, they were going to send up lanterns into the sky with wishes tied to them in the hopes that God would see them and grant their wish…

The final ball!

Feliciano froze in place. Tonight was the final day he had with Ludwig! He was so lost in thought that he believed that he was living back with the king and not with a woman and her family. Tomorrow, he was not going to see him again, content with only letters from him…

The thought started crossing his mind. Maybe he should get the king to take him back in, so that he would be the valet of Ludwig once again. Instantly, he remembered Elizabeta. If he had left on his own selfish accord, she would be at the mercy of the women. What to do…

"_**You need to be away from him."**_

Feliciano turned around, seeing no one around him, only hearing the wind blow into his ears. He shrugged, wondering if he had just heard that.

"_**You almost killed him."**_

"Ve?"

"_**You are too dangerous to be around him."**_

He wondered if he was hearing a private conversation, so he hurried on his way, making sure that he was not looking at anyone else. Hopefully, he would be able to send his own lantern into the sky.

**/=+=/**

"I never participated in this ceremony before."

"It's really easy, Elizabeta! All you have to do is write your wish on a piece of paper and place it into the lantern." Feliciano gestured the whole thing. "And when you send up the lantern into the sky, you burn the piece of paper to light it into the sky. According to legend, if your wish brings the lantern to heaven, God will see it and make it come true!"

"How would he see a wish written on a burnt piece of paper?"

"…um…I don't know."

Elizabeta shrugged, but decided to go with it. Roderich had allowed that same hairstylist to work with her so that she would participate in the ceremony. Hopefully, her wish ends up going to heaven and has it granted…

He quietly walked back to his master's room, seeing her and her children fixing up their make-up and dresses for the final ball following the ceremony. He was rather perplexed by everything that was going on, he didn't even notice that they looked rather hideous with the over-excess of make-up.

"Ve…M-Madame Francine?"

"What is it?" She asked, fixing her make-up.

"I-Is it possible for me to participate as well?"

"If you will, you'll be better off getting the ones sold in the city."

"What about the ones the nobles have?"

"You're too uncivilized for them." She smiled. "Maybe next year."

_Maybe next year._ At least she was nice enough to say that.

Feliciano quietly headed out of the room _(they were so distracted that they didn't even notice him)_, walking down the hallway and watching the other nobles talking about designing their own lanterns. Maybe if he was lucky, he could get his own…

"_**What wish is granted to wicked hearts?"**_

Feliciano turned around, seeing only nobles that weren't even looking at him. He was confused, but nonetheless he didn't bother thinking about it. He continued on his way, hopefully to the nearest food source.

**/=+=/**

It was near twilight. Every single noble had decorated their lantern and written their wish, and they were ready to send it into the sky. Feliciano had no time to go into the city to buy one, what with trying to hide from his noble master, so he was stuck watching yet again this year.

_Then again, I don't even think that I have a wish._ He laughed. _Wow…that would waste an entire lantern…_

Everything is working normally, wasn't it? He had a best friend, he saw Ludwig again, and everyone is happy. Any time Feliciano wanted to talk to him, he would just write a letter or something, and Ludwig would send one back. That's the existence that he was used to…yeah, he liked that…

"Feliciano!"

"Eh?"

He turned his head to see Elizabeta heading toward him, beautiful from the make-up, and holding two lanterns in her hands. He was confused. Two lanterns? How in the world was she able to get two?

"Eliza, you're only supposed to send one."

"I know. This is for you!"

"V-ve?"

"I felt bad for you not having one, so I thought that you should get one."

"U-um…thank you…"

"Though I don't think you should send it here. All of these guys are so dedicated to making sure nobles send noble lanterns or something."

"That's fine. I know a good place."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's OK, Eliza. I'll be fine on my own."

**/=+=/**

That place is a small little hill just outside the castle walls, but not too far in case he got lost. He and Ludwig would always wander here when they were young, wondering things like what made the world spin or why the sky was blue and normal kid questions like that. If they went far enough, they could see the ocean.

Feliciano quietly wandered to the edge of the hill, seeing the ocean crash into the shore as the sun set before him. He sat down and placed the lantern next to him, looking at the piece of paper that was in his hand.

"Do I even have a wish?"

All he could think up at the moment was that it would be cool to be back with Ludwig at this very spot, playing and running around and not having a care about what tomorrow brought the two of them. He would run around and fall on the ground, and then Ludwig would pick him up, laugh it all off and run off into the sunset.

Come to think of it, what if Ludwig was there now?

They wouldn't run around and play. They were way too old for that. Ludwig wouldn't want to do so. Feliciano, while he did, knew that he couldn't. He could deal with just walking with him down the hill, toward the shore, sitting with each other as the sun set before them. Ludwig would mention something. Feliciano wouldn't know what it meant. He'd call him an idiot. They'd laugh. But they'd be alone together.

He liked being alone with him.

Feliciano knew what he wanted. The time he had alone with him back in Francine's kitchen had to be the most enjoyable thing that had happened to him since he was a servant in their house. He missed being able to talk to him privately without someone trying to interrupt them. He wanted those days back, so badly. But Elizabeta…he couldn't leave her either. Sure, she was a strong woman, but no one can be strong for long when they stand alone…but still…

He looked down at the piece of paper and started to quietly write to himself.

_I want the days with_

"_**Bloody hell, you really are as sinful as your appearance."**_

He jumped and turned around, seeing a strange blond man with the thickest eyebrows in forever glaring back at him. Feliciano's eyes widened; he had seen this man before. He was Elizabeta's stylist during the entire party. He hadn't seen him during the entire day…

"How did you…?"

"_**I always know where my targets are."**_

"What?"

"_**Those lanterns…who do you think reads them? God? The eternal being from the furthest reaches of the universe, farther than what your lanterns can reach?"**_

"…no, but…"

"_**We read them. We are angels, here to grant the wishes of those who are pure and innocent of heart…which you certainly are not."**_

"W-what do you mean?"

"_**Tell me…what are your thoughts on your friend?"**_

"Elizabeta? Well, I-"

"_**Not her. I know that you have dedication to her…I mean Ludwig."**_

"…_Lud…wig…"_ His face blushed a quiet red. "H-he's only a friend to me."

"_**Is that the truth? Is that the entire truth, Feliciano? Or are you lying to me?"**_

Feliciano was confused. Ludwig was a friend to him. He was his only friend up until Elizabeta. They were close with each other. They told each other everything. He could trust Ludwig with his life, heck his soul if God forced him into that situation. He really couldn't live without him…wait…

"_I-I…"_

"_**Love is only between a man and a woman. That was the plan set in motion by the God that you humans worship. For your sake, I hope you stay as friends…if barely."**_

The man quickly disappeared, leaving Feliciano alone to wonder the true relationship he had with his larger man's counterpart. If he really did love him, if all those times he felt a rush of these strange emotions _(or was just set on fire, who knows)_ when he was around them was love…was that really an immoral thing? Was wishing to be with him even on friendly terms too much for him? Disheartened, he stood up and quietly left the hillside, leaving the fallen lantern and unwritten wish on the floor.

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…

"What happened?"

Roderich stared at the lantern as he quietly watched Feliciano leave the area, disheartened and not noticing him as the elegant figure escaped the trees. He leaned down and looked at his wish on the piece of paper, unfinished and wandering downward as if he got distracted.

"I see…I know what you wanted…"

He quietly lifted up the pen and continued to write the wish down, smiling when he was done.

_I want the days with Ludwig again._

"God wouldn't know what you wanted if you don't finish the wish."

Roderich placed the paper into the lantern and set it ablaze just to see the others in the city send theirs into the sky. He let go and watched Feliciano's wish ascend into the air, disappearing into the clouds as the sun finally set over the horizon.


	16. The Basics of Immorality

It felt so weird waking up back in his servant's cabin.

As Feliciano woke up, he was seriously confused on where he was. It was only when he sat up that he realized that he was back at home. No longer can he wake up back in his guest room and wear those fancy clothes that Roderich had given him. No longer can he try to hide to take a break. No longer can he sleep in.

"Hey, Feliciano! Get up and make us breakfast!"

He mumbled quietly to himself as he stood up and walked out of the room, trying to make sure Elizabeta doesn't wake up as well. The steps he made as he headed down the hallway felt odd and strange, like he didn't know what building he was in. It felt like he had just moved here, and had no idea where he was…but then again, maybe he was living only a dream.

Feliciano looked outside to check the mail before he headed back to the kitchen to make the food. Everything was right where he had left it: all in order, nothing was out of reach. He could only try his best to smile as he headed to make the usual food. At least he can think about what that man said to him last night.

"_**For your sake, I hope you stay as friends…if barely."**_

_What does he mean by that?_ He looked up in confusion. _I only see Ludwig as a friend._

Part of him thought about it: yeah, he had thought about him for a while. He wanted to hang out with him ever since Ludwig found him, and when they were together, he never wanted to leave. But he thought that was normal in terms of friendship. Two people have to enjoy being with each other when they're friends. That's what he feels when he's around Elizabeta…but in terms of being with him, the feeling was more intense…more warm…

Best friend, then?

Whatever that feeling was, it jumped a thousand fold in his chest when he felt the daily letter Ludwig gave him. He didn't want to read it now; no, that was when the family has their breakfast, and Elizabeta _(god bless her heart)_ is eating elsewhere. He felt weird reading his letter when there are other people around him…

"_**FELICIANO!**_ Where's our food?"

"Ve-! Coming!"

**/~+~/**

_Dear Feliciano, _

_I have found myself missing you ever since you left. When you were with us in the festival, it felt like the old times, when we would just run away from our elders whenever they were in an important meeting just to be together. Life has been normal since you left, though Gilbert has been wondering if we should just kidnap you. If you ever want to come back, just let me know, all right? Though not yet…_

_You see, there is a small uprising on one of our colonies and father as asked me to lead the men to contain the problem. I'll probably be gone for a week if I'm lucky, but if not, then this will most likely be the last letter you'll get from me in a while. Don't worry about me, I'll make sure that I come back alive. Gilbert needs someone to be sane when he ascends to the throne. Maybe you'll be there as well._

_I wish you well,_

_Ludwig_

**/~+~/**

Feliciano lowered the letter as he ate quietly in the kitchen. He knew that Ludwig was a general in the army, but this was the first time that he genuinely worried for him. Ever since that weird angel told him that he will be the reason why he would die, Feliciano couldn't help but wonder if this is what he meant.

_Maybe he'll be worrying about me while he's in battle, which will end up with him not being able to do his job?_ He froze. _T-that's horrible! I have to make sure that doesn't happen!_

He still had a few minutes before the family was done with their breakfast, so he should be able to make a letter and deliver it to the castle before Ludwig was sent out. Feliciano quickly grabbed a big napkin and the nearest quill pen he could find and began to write.

**/=+=/**

As the family was finishing with their meals, Feliciano snuck out of the house to the nearest post box that he could find. He looked around to make sure that no one was looking before he slid the letter into the box before hurrying back into the house just to catch Francine demanding for someone to do the laundry.

_Please be well, Ludwig…_ He blushed. "I'll do it, Elizabeta!"

Unfortunately, Arthur happened to be there. He looked into the post box and found the letter that he was delivering, with Ludwig's name on it. Without skipping a beat, he pocketed the letter and moved out of the way as the delivery man finally passed by to make his rounds. Arthur looked up at the house and saw Elizabeta talking to Feliciano as she scrubbed the windows, and couldn't help but sigh as he disappeared from view.

**/=+=/**

"So Ludwig's going to be gone for a while, huh?"

"Yeah." Feliciano smiled. "But I'm not worried for him. Ludwig always knows what he's doing; he'll come back."

"Let's hope so~" Elizabeta chuckled with a smile on her face. "I haven't seen a smile that big on your face, so he must be close to you!"

"H-he's just a friend, Eliza."

"_Riiiiiight."_

"Eh?"

"Nothing, nothing~"

"Ve?"

"Well, what are you going to do while waiting for him?"

"It's not going to be that long. I survived not talking to him for years, I can handle not hearing him for another month or two."

"You're so strong, Feli~"

"_V-ve…you're choking me…"_

**/=+=/**

The days were slowly passing by, and Feliciano quietly spent them cleaning and cooking with a quiet hum underneath his breath. Elizabeta would notice him look outside the window at the sea for hours at a time, probably wondering if he would be able to see the ships carrying his friend coming back into the harbor.

_Aw…look how cute he is, looking for his one true love._ She giggled. _He's like a little puppy and his master~_

Meanwhile, Feliciano found himself falling silent most of the time. He had not been thinking about Ludwig until he had seen him god knows low long ago. Now he can't stop thinking about him…why was that? Maybe this was the whole "love" thing that the angel was telling him to avoid feeling? It didn't feel that bad.

"Um…Elizabeta."

"Yes, Feliciano?"

"Is it bad for guys…to be in love with other guys?"

"No, of course not! Love comes in so many forms and shapes!" She answered with a smile. "Why, are you in love with another guy?"

"I-I just wanted to know."

Before he knew it, Francine was asking for him to clean up her room while she got ready for an outside party with another noble party. He quietly did so, watching her as she dolled herself up with curls and some of the strangest make-up he had ever seen. He figured that he might as well ask.

"…Madame?"

"What is it?" She didn't sound pleased.

"I-I've just been hearing around the city while I was outside about…a man being in a relationship."

"What about it? Relationships are fine."

He couldn't help but feel a little happy. "But…he's dating another man."

She turned almost immediately, her hair falling down her face and messing up her look, and she looked almost animalistic in appearance. Feliciano meeped and almost screamed, shivering to the core.

"That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard! _**Who told you this?"**_

"U-uh, just gossip, madam…" Feliciano tried to hide behind his hands.

"Well, then! You shouldn't bother me with such gossip as shameful as that!" Francine waved her hand. "That has to be the most vile thing I have ever heard. Love can only be between a man and a woman. Everyone knows that! Hopefully, you have realized that as well."

_I…I don't think I have…_

**/=+=/**

Later that night, as Elizabeta slept quietly in her bed, Feliciano found himself staring at the ceiling. Francine's words kept dancing around his head, and all he could end up thinking about was whether or not love between two men really was as immoral as she had put it.

_Maybe this is what the angel was talking about? How loving someone of the same sex is going to be the death of us?_

He just looked around and watched as Elizabeta slept, wondering if she had known that what she supported was cruel and immoral. But that wasn't right. Many people said that Feliciano had to be the purest being next to his female counterpart. If he was, in fact, in love with Ludwig, does that mean he was more of a demon than the man who…?

Feliciano cried quietly that night, his dreams filled with the general and the only comfort he ever had in his life.


	17. Natalya's Condition

The next day wasn't going so well. When Feliciano woke up, he felt that the pillow was wet from his tears and that his face felt extremely puffy. He cursed to himself slightly and tried his best to wipe the puffiness away as he sat up, hearing Natalya rage around her room. From the side of his ear, he could hear Elizabeta complain.

"_Dammit…she ran out of medication, didn't she?"_

"Ve, does the lack of medication really do that to her?"

"She's sick, Feli. Medication is just the way of life for her."

"But she doesn't have any side effects, so why would it do this much without it…?"

"Hell if I know. But Francine really is dedicated to giving her the medication. It must be a bad sickness."

"Hm…she won't even tell us what it is."

"Wow…it must really be bad."

Five seconds later, Feliciano could hear Francine scream for him to join her. He screamed in shock, stared at Elizabeta _(who was whispering words of encouragement)_, and then quietly headed over to Natalya's room. As he approached the door, he could hear someone thrashing and screaming on a bed, and someone screaming for her to calm down and tie her up.

_W-what is going on over there…?_ He knocked on the door. "M-ma'am?"

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" There was the sound of a lock, and the head of Francine popped out of the room. "I need you to go down to the town and get me this medicine. Give the "

"Eh?" He was handed a piece of paper. "Um…all right."

"Hurry! Before the monster comes back to her!"

_Eh?_

**/=+=/**

Feliciano found himself complying with Francine's order and heading to the local church to get the medicine. Carrying the five bottles in his pouch was the strangest feeling he had _(like he was going to smuggle something)_, though he made it to church without too much of an issue. He went to the priest that was there, who was just finishing a baptism with a little baby boy. He looked at the servant boy and noticed the bag by his side.

"May I help you, my child?"

"Oh, um…I'm here on behalf of Madame Francine Bonnefois."

"Oh…you are here for Natalya?"

Feliciano nodded before handing him the piece of paper that Francine gave him. The priest looked at it for a few more minutes before nodding and returning the piece of paper back to him. The look on his face couldn't help but scare the little boy.

"Come with me. I'll need your help."

He tilted his head in confusion before following the priest into the back of the church, where there was a small room filled with life and barrels that read "holy water" on them. Feliciano couldn't help but feel a little strange in this area…almost as if he had walked into a witch's hut…

"Do you have the bottles?"

"Eh? Oh, right."

Feliciano quietly took out the five bottles in his bag and gave it to the priest, who lined them up in a specific order and prayed to them individually. That was when he realized that each one of them had five unique characters on them, written in different languages that created what sounded like a prayer.

"What do those words mean, father?"

"These are the prayers asking for help with each saint here." He answered. "All the help is needed for her soul."

"Um…what is she sick with?"

The priest said nothing, shivering almost as if he was pained to talk about it. He ended up not mentioning it, filling it with strange things that were inside the other bottles. From the corner of his eye, he could see that he was burning wooden rosaries and mixing it with palm leaves. Feliciano couldn't help but notice that there was mold on them.

"Is this safe?"

"As long as she has God's grace, she will be safe."

"Oh…but-"

"Her situation is dire. This is what she needs."

Feliciano watched as he mixed in a few other things that looked rather holy into the bottles. In one, he added what looked like pulp from wood. In another, he put in the ash of the wooden rosaries. It looked as if he was brewing some kind of magic potion instead of actually making medicine. He couldn't help but be creeped out.

"What is she sick with?"

"She is not sick. She is possessed."

"E-eh? Then why don't you try an exorcism?"

"We've tried so many times, but the demon is completely attached to Natalya's soul that exorcising it would kill her…we have to separate the demon from her first before we can exorcise it…"

"And the medicine helps?"

"That and a lot of prayer…" He looked at him. "If there is anything you can do, pray for her. Then she will be cured."

…_demon?_

**/=+=/**

Feliciano had no idea what to do as he quietly headed home with the five bottles in his bag. From what he had observed, whatever the priest added to the "medicine" did not look safe at all. If what his training as a valet says is true, at least one of them is toxic to the human body. Then again, that was so long ago and he could barely remember it…

_Natalya…possessed? She is a scary girl to begin with, but I didn't think that it was because of a demon._ Feliciano looked at the bag. _Unless it's not because of a demon…_

For some reason, a strange thought crossed his head. What if Francine was poisoning Natalya instead of curing her? Maybe if she was weaned off, she would get better. He immediately pushed it away but it continued to nag him until he couldn't really get it out of his mind. He took a deep breath and headed into the nearest store.

**/=+=/**

"Where is Feliciano? He's supposed to have the medicine eons ago!"

"Don't worry, mother! He's never late with a delivery!"

"But…Natalya…that blasted demon…"

She watched the girl as she lay exhausted on the bed, tired from all the thrashing that she had done to get herself out of the restraints. A small knock on the door startled the both of them, and Francine quickly opened the door and saw Feliciano holding up the bag with the medicine.

"This is it!" She dug out the bottles. "Oh, thank you! I'd get it myself, but-"

"It's fine, Madame. Is there something else you want me to do?"

"Oh, be a dear and make some tea. Madame's very tired."

Feliciano nodded quietly as he closed the door and hurried on his way to the kitchen. As he entered, he could hear Elizabeta humming a merry tune and talking to her animal friends _(who were gossiping about Feliciano's new maid dress…something that made him blush)_. He quickly ignored her as he dug further into the bag and pulled out the five medicine bottles that he got from the priest. They had just settled and did not look anything that should be drinkable.

_Forgive me, madam._

He quickly hid it in one of the cabinets _(in case Natalya actually needed the disgusting looking potion)_ and started to make the tea, rubbing his head and hoping that he was right.


	18. The Consequences of His Actions

"Feliciano, can I ask you something?"

"Eh? Miss Hedervary?" Feliciano sat up on the bed before the sun would rise. "What's wrong?"

"Not wrong, per say. I'm just curious about something."

"What about?"

"Well, you were the one who got Natalya's medicine, right?"

Feliciano looked up, trying to remember. He took it a few days ago. Francine was behind that door demanding that he go get it. He went to the priest and looking like he was creating witchcraft instead of making a potion. Then he went around and decided to switch it with a new style of tea that just came in the stores. The actual potions are hidden in the kitchen _(where none of the family goes)_. Now that the days are passed…

"Yes, I did. Why? I thought you didn't like Natalya."

"Yeah, that was because she was crazy and messed up. Have you seen her recently?"

"Um…no, I was busy doing chores."

"Well, I'm asking you this because…Natalya is somehow…_**less**_ crazy."

"Eh?"

"She's less crazy now. She hasn't been spazzing around lately and almost acting like a normal human being."

"Wow…" Feliciano started smiling. "I guess the medicine is finally working!"

"Thank god. I wonder if Francine was deciding on her dosage levels the entire time?"

"Maybe…that's why she's not talking about it."

Suddenly, there was a shout of commands from the lower levels of the manor, catching their attention. Feliciano looked at her in confusion before going down the stairs and seeing Francine telling no one to go and make them their breakfast, turning her attention to Feliciano once she saw him there. He shrugged and headed back to the kitchen, where he started to prepare the food.

_Ve…so the potions really were poisoning her._ He smiled. _I'm glad I made the right decision…Ludwig would be proud of me._

Ludwig. Feliciano found himself blushing at the mere mention of the name. He had gone the whole week and a half without a mention of that name, and now just thinking about him flooded memories back into his mind. He wondered what he was thinking about, especially since he would be rather confused by what he wrote to him…

_D-don't tell me that he's thinking about that instead of his work!_

He couldn't help but find himself worrying about it as he continued to make the eggs. Did Ludwig even understand what he had written in the first place? Feliciano knew he was a smart individual, and that he knew him inside and out. But after all those years apart, he couldn't help but wonder if he didn't anymore…

_**You should not have saved her.**_

"Eh?"

_**She was a cursed being.**_

_Is that the angel?_ "D-do you mean Natalya? So that demon was real…?"

_**A demon…that is perhaps the best definition I could give her…someone who is doomed to be saved.**_

"…is it because she is part of the family that uses me and Miss Hedervary as servants?"

The voice did not answer back, confusing him. Feliciano decided that he was probably hearing things and continued on with his work. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind and the tea spilled all over his arm. Keep in mind that it was hot tea, at best. Feliciano screamed but quickly calmed himself, holding his arm as he tried to pour more tea and serve the trays without too much pain.

_At least the tea wasn't…_ *wince* _That hot._

Just as he thought that, the arm increased in pain tenfold. Feliciano bit his lip and was able to serve to Francine without too much trouble _(though she did wonder why he was biting so hard)_. Irunya's tray was thankfully on his good arm, and she didn't notice a thing. It was when he went to Natalya that things started getting more painful.

_W-what…?_ He looked at it. _Red…?_

He quickly transferred the tray to his good arm and headed to Natalya's room, praying to god that she would be there. Fortunately, knocking on the door did reveal that she was present. Surprisingly, she actually opened the door all the way and he was able to see inside the room. It was rather dark in color, and something black was on the bed. He didn't want to question.

"Oh. It's you."

_She…does sound more mellow._ "I'm…here for your breakfast."

"Thanks."

Natalya reached out and took it, surprising Feliciano. Normally, she would ask for it to be left at her doorstep. Not only that, but her voice was less…creepy. It was still creepy, per say, but…well, it was a realistic creepy. And the fact that he was not screaming and running by the strange stare he was getting from her was even crazier…um…

"Do you need anything else?"

"V-ve…" _H-her threats aren't actually that scary…_ "I heard that you were getting better."

"I was. The medicine is working, thank you." She answered with a glare. "It doesn't taste horrible like last time."

"Oh…I see." Feliciano shivered just a little bit. "Well, the priest did add everything…"

"You saw what was in it."

"Um…yeah."

"And yet to gave it to me."

"…um…"

"…unless you didn't."

"No…" Feliciano looked down. "I…I did start wondering if you were actually sick…"

"I wasn't."

"Eh?"

"I was never sick, Feliciano. I kept telling my mother, but she would not believe me."

"But why would she still think you were sick if you told otherwise?"

"…it's a long story."

"Oh…"

"…but if you wish, I'll tell you later."

"OK."

Natalya looked at him before closing the door _(not SLAMMING it? Wow)_, leaving Feliciano alone. As he heard more commands, he rushed in order to fulfill all of them. His arm had started becoming numb at that point, but at that point he didn't care. Feliciano was a servant, always has and ever will be. No injury is going to stop him from doing his work…

"_**Feliciano!"**_

"I'm coming, madam!"

_Besides, if this was Ludwig, I would work through the pain as well…_

_**Feliciano…helping the darkness will only result in you sinking further into your sins…**_


	19. Her Feared Illness

He walked at Natalya's door, waiting for her to respond to his knocking. Natalya had requested for his services after dinner, and now he was wondering if she was planning something. His mind started wondering if she was going to torture him from mixing up her medicine…or worse, that demon was actually existing or something like that…

_**This is my last warning to you, Feliciano Vargas.**_

_V-ve?_

_**If you go into that room, you will be tainted beyond my repair, and you will forever be my enemy.**_

_Enemy…? What is wrong with Natalya?_

_**That is my last warning to you…Feliciano Vargas…**_

The voice did not respond to his questions, so he was forced to wonder what exactly it was talking about. He concluded that it had to do with her treated Elizabeta cruelly with her demands and tasks, and that it was sorely misguided because Natalya was actually lessening her assaults since the switched medicine. Come to think of it, it was almost as if they were looking at two completely different people-

"Feli?"

"_**Gyaaah!"**_ He shivered. _"Oh…N-Natalya…"_

"You were waiting there."

"_F-for a while…Miss…"_

"I see…well, I fixed up my room. Try not to be too intimidated."

_Not working._

Feliciano looked around before quietly following inside, finally seeing Natalya's room. It was a lot darker than he imagined it _(dark blue EVERYWHERE)_, with the curtains opened and the floor littered a bit. He tried not to step on anything, only succeeding on sitting on her bed without too much trouble.

"Soo…what did you need me for?"

Natalya said nothing, making Feliciano worry a little bit. He watched her for a few minutes as she paced around the room before going to the closet across her bed and digging out the five bottles that he had given Francine. She looked at him and lifted them up to the light.

"Did you draw this, Feliciano?"

"…no. I painted them with calligraphy brushes." He found himself answering. "The…there were a lot of small details I needed to put in."

"I see…what did you fill it with?"

"Tea leaves."

"Oh. It tasted familiar; that's why I asked."

"Well, yes. It's just tea."

"Thank goodness. I didn't want to drink the ashes of rosaries."

"You knew what was in it too?"

"I wasn't supposed to. Francine was talking about it with someone else."

"Oh…"

"You wouldn't like the knowledge either."

"I…I would assume so."

"You know so, and you know it."

"…yeah…" He looked up. "Is that all you wanted to speak with me about?"

Natalya said nothing, looking at the bottles in her hands and contemplating if she should mention it. There were a few tense moments before she sighed and sat down on the bed next to Feliciano, the fake bottles dancing around in her hands. She almost looked scared at what to reveal. _Unless that demon was actually real…_

"…have you ever fallen in love?"

"E-eh?"

"Answer me."

"Um…not really…at least, I don't think I have…"

"You don't think you've been in love, Feliciano?"

"Um…it's…complicated."

"If only everyone else had told me that. Maybe I would have been in a different position."

"Eh?"

"…"

"Natalya…"

"…a long time ago, I fell in love. We always wanted to be with each other all the time, hanging out and just talking. What I would give to have that time returned to me…" Natalya sighed. "She loved me more than anything else in the world…god, I loved those eyes of hers…"

"Wait…_her?"_

"Yes her. You got a problem with that?"

"N-no! I w-was just making sure I heard you correctly." _So she loved a woman…_

"My mother found out, and immediately separated the both of us, hoping that whatever we had between the both of us would disappear with time. She ended up getting over it and fell in love with a man. I never stopped thinking about her." She held her knees. "That's when mother began believing that I was sick."

"Because you loved a woman?"

"Once they knew that I couldn't change what I believed, mother began to think that I was possessed by a demon and asked for exorcisms on me. Here's something: never get an exorcism done on you. It's stressful with people screaming at you and if you die, no one would care because you supposedly 'took down the demon with you'. Sickos."

"Wow…"

"The exorcisms didn't work _(how mind-boggling)_, and then they resorted to this. According to the priest's claims, the medicine will separate the demon from my soul before they can initiate another exorcism. Apparently, they're planning on doing this to me one more time…I hate it."

"…you love a woman…_so I'm not the only one…"_

"Eh? Of course you would love a woman. It's acceptable for men to love them."

"No! No, that's not what I meant!"

Natalya stared at him in confusion as Feliciano looked down on the floor, the strange emotions for Ludwig swirling in his mind. Here he thought that only he was the weird on. The fact that there was someone else like him _(who was forced to drink something disgusting in order to 'cure' it, but whatever)_ in this universe made him feel less alone, like maybe this wasn't his fault.

"What did you mean, then?"

"…um…_well, I…I think I'm in love too…"_

"Oh?"

"…_and…"_ He looked around. _"He's a man."_

"You…like men…like I like women?"

"I-I think so…"

"Are you just joking with me?"

"N-no! Do you know that general back at the castle? The one with the slicked back hair?"

"…are you talking about the brother of the prince? That's just a crush, it'll go away once you start looking for women."

"…I…guess…but would it be something more if we knew each other longer?"

"Most likely. Why?"

"Just asking…" _So it's true then…_

"Look, you have my mother to serve right now. Go to her before she starts abusing Eliza again."

"O-OK…"

Feliciano quietly stood up and headed out of the room, looking at Natalya before heading off to find his master. From the back of his mind, he found himself in an odd sense of calm, like all the answers in the world had been given to him, and now he could live freely for the rest of his days. Ludwig was in his mind, he had not changed, and that smile…that beautiful smile…

_I…I am in love with Ludwig…_ He smiled, holding a hand to his cheek. _It makes sense now…_

He knew he couldn't tell a soul out there. Once it starts leaking out that he likes boys, god knows what Francine is going to do to him. Maybe he'll be forced to drink the same medicine as Natalya. Maybe he'll be thrown into the streets to die. Or worse off…

"Feliciano!"

"Coming, madam!"

Once Ludwig comes back, Feliciano was going to tell him about Natalya. About her liking women. Hopefully, he would be understanding with him about it…otherwise this would all be for naught…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_**Oh, Feliciano…how she has corrupted you so…"**_


	20. It All Comes Out

A few long days had passed since Natalya had told him her secret. The tension between the both of them actually disappeared, and even lightened up to mild indifference. Not a huge step, but a step nonetheless. Of course, they don't really talk to each other, but at least she was giving him reasonable commands. Elizabeta couldn't help but be surprised, but Feliciano didn't tell her why. That was a secret he couldn't even tell her.

What made it even stranger from the others was that Feliciano seemed to be happier. He would take anything that was given to him _(even multiple at the same time)_ and hum a merry tune the entire time. Francine had to admit that she preferred this Feliciano, for "he doesn't complain about what he's supposed to be doing", but even she knew that this was a strange improvement for the young man.

Meanwhile, Feliciano found himself in a strange euphoria. The fear of telling Ludwig how he felt was no longer present. He had suffered enough in his life. Sure, he might be rejected, but he knew that their friendship was going to prevail among all else, and perhaps he loved him the same way. Perhaps, if…God was going to be nice to him. But for now, all Feliciano needed to do now was to wait until Ludwig's letter is delivered to the house, and then they can commence their conversation. His love was so strong, he wouldn't sleep for hours, just thinking about him, and that would be the only thing that he would run on for the day.

"_**But alas, every dream must end with a nightmare for those who are wicked…"**_

**/=+=/**

It all began with a tea party.

Feliciano was preparing the tea for the family's afternoon party with a nearby nobleman. He had visited before, and he just loved the way he prepared the tea. As Elizabeta tended to the guests, Feliciano was in the kitchen alone working on what he did best. He always seemed to love the Asian teas-

_***CRASH***_

"Gah!"

He turned his head to the side and realized that someone had thrown a rock through one of the windows. Confused, he walked over to the door and picked up the rock in his hand. It was oddly sharpened, almost as if this was intentional or supposed to be part of a weapon.

"Feliciano! Is the tea ready?"

He looked up, seeing a rather confused and annoyed Francine staring back at him with folded arms. Feliciano tilted his head and turned back to the stone in his hand to realize that there was nothing there, and the window was no longer broken. Instead, underneath his hand were broken shards of what looked like glass…

"_**Feliciano! **_You broke my favorite china!"

He looked at the shards on the floor, seeing the familiar blue design of the sides, and realized just what Francine was talking about. He found himself standing up in confusion as Francine started screaming at him for ruining her things. _I wasn't even around this area when it fell. I even had all the cups in front of me!_

"God, nevermind…I knew you were useless from the start." She threw her hands up in the air. "Just make the goddamn tea."

"_Y-yes ma'am…"_

There were no table scraps that night.

**/=+=/**

He reached as high as he could to get that one stain out of the window. The kids were throwing mud as usual and Francine just barely chased them off. Feliciano never really understood why people could hate her without even knowing her full name. Was she really as monstrous as the woman that ran his life now?

_No, she can't be that evil. Every person has some good in them…Francine should be good somewhere…_

There were some signs of screaming from inside the house, scaring the young man and almost making him tumble out of the ladder he was on. Just as he steadied himself, he could hear Irunya complaining to her mother about the clothes Feliciano put in the wash not coming out right…wait, that doesn't make any sense…he didn't even go on that side of the manor yet…

_What is going on?_

Before he knew it, Francine had charged up to him and started shaking his ladder, demanding an explanation. Of course, no one was going to believe that he was on the ladder cleaning the windows _(no one ever believes the servant or butler)_, and so he ended up having to do the laundry again. How they ended up in different colors was beyond him.

Several days had passed since then. Again, there were no table scraps.

**/=+=/**

"Feli, when was the last time you ate?"

"_I ate this morning. You weren't there, of course, so…"_

"But you look so pale!"

"_I just haven't been in the sun, all right? It's OK."_

Elizabeta stared at him for a while, looking at him as Feliciano rubbed his arms. He was getting thinner and thinner by the day, and just recently he was having trouble holding up a bucket of water. What's worse is that Francine was oddly blind to it all, telling him to work harder and harder. Sure, the load on her was a lot less, but…

"You really need to eat something, Feliciano."

"_But I ate already…"_

"Then eat some more. Seriously, you're almost like a stick at this point!"

"_But I'm not allowed in the kitchen when I'm not cooking…"_

"Just go. Say that I needed the mop or something."

"…all right…if you insist…"

"There you go~"

Feliciano stood up and quietly headed over to the kitchen, trying his best to hide from the family. He wasn't planning on taking much. He could barely recall a stale piece of bread that tastes great with a bit of the old gravy. All he needed was that…at least, his stomach did.

_Goodness…is this how hungry I get?_ He sighed. _Maybe I should just stick with the hay…it's technically wheat…_

_**Your punishment is what you deserve…**_

As he was contemplating it, he was already at the doorway of the kitchen, and someone else was already there. Feliciano stared in confusion before realizing that it was Francine, looking around with a blank look on her face as if she was searching for something.

_Francine never goes into the kitchen…_

As he stood there in confusion, Francine finally started looking into the cupboards and found five bottles in the back. Feliciano stared at her before realizing what she had just found: the old potion bottles that he had hidden away in case Natalya actually needed them. In the moment of her recovery, he completely forgot to get rid of them. She turned, noticing that he was there, and glared at him.

"Are these exactly what I think they are?" She spat at him.

"…they're back-ups." He answered. "In case we forget to fill up a week or the priest is out."

"The potions only work for the week, Feliciano. Anything beyond that makes the evil around it sink in. This is the bane of existence!"

"…oh…"

"I was wondering why those potions looked so different…**you were switching them, weren't you?"**

"W-what are you talking about?"

"You were putting Natalya in danger with the Devil. What made you do something as horrible as this?"

"But she isn't sick anymore! Did you see her? She's improving, so…"

"That just means the demon has fused with her soul again. You did this to her!"

"Being well means she's sick? Francine, you're making her sick with this…"

"…I didn't think I would have to do this, but I don't have a choice."

"W-what are you…?"

"I have to send you back to _**him."**_

"N-no…not him, please…."

"I'll send the summon immediately. You are no longer trusted here."

"P-please don't-"

_***SLAP***_

"Then you should have just obeyed your orders like you should have. Goodness, they did tell me that you would be ruly…and the fact that you did this to my family…"

_But…I don't want to go back…_


	21. The Daring Escape of Feliciano

Francine marched him into his room, locking the door behind him as she left to send the summoning paper. He fell quiet and sat on his bed, wondering what he could do. He never wanted to see that man again, not in his life…no, he wished he would have never seen him again.

"_So you're the one that the king was talking about? You're smaller than you look!"_

He just looked so evil…the only person in the world that Feliciano could not see any shred of good in. Ludwig always told him that every person had a shred of both good and evil inside them, and that it's important to find the good in a person, for that is the part that always holds the answers to a person's actions.

"_Your skin is soft…it's strange that it would be like this…"_

"I…I don't want to go back to him…"

"_If only you were just a little bigger, you would be __perfect…__"_

Feliciano found himself shaking and clutching himself into a ball. That man was terrifying, and he could still remember the pain he inflicted on him. He wanted to get out of here…he needed to make sure that man never saw him again. He needed to get out of here…

_But Elizabeta…_

No. There was not enough time. He can't even say good-bye…he needed to leave…

His eyes quickly darted to the window, and before he knew it, he was already at the windowsill, looking around. He was on the attic, about five stories down to the floor, and if he jumped he would surely have some form of injury. But he had the perfect window of opportunity. The summon had just been sent out, and he would come in at any time…

Feliciano quickly jumped out, landing without any injuries _(surprising him)_. He stared at his legs for a minute before he quickly dashed out of the complex, jumping through the gate into the forest. Before he quickly left, he turned around, hoping to see Elizabeta one more time, and instead saw a blank-faced Natalya looking straight at him. She stared at him before uttering one word.

"_Run."_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Elizabeta, can you get the mail?"

"Sure, madam!"

"Good!"

"Hm, let's see…oh, a letter for Feliciano."

**/=+=/**

Feliciano started pushing through all of the bushes, having no idea where he was going. He knew that Ludwig was able to get to his town, so he seriously hoped that he would be able to at least return to the castle by night's end. Maybe he'll be let in, and perhaps Ludwig would actually be there for him…

_Ludwig…_

His feet suddenly felt like they were going faster, and he was propelled forward. Feliciano found himself running on that name alone, hoping that he was going to see him again. He didn't even care if he was alive or dead at this point: he just wanted to see him again…just so he could tell him in person…everything…

_Ludwig…when was the last time I've hugged you…? I can't remember how warm you were…I want to see you again…Ludwig…!_

"Feli?"

He froze at that voice, confused on what he was listening to. Slowly, he turned his head and saw Ludwig staring back at him, wearing the same attire that he was wearing when they had separated from each other. Just the sight of him lifted his spirits, and he couldn't help but smile.

"_L…Ludwig…you're here…"_ Feliciano found himself crying. _"Thank god…I was so scared that I had to run away…I just wanted to go back to the castle again…"_

"The castle?"

"Um…yeah…because I don't want that man in my life…" He looked away. _"He…he hurt me…"_

"Then maybe you deserved it."

"E-eh?"

"You were always the whiny little bastard back then. I'm not surprised that you haven't changed at all."

"W-what…? Ludwig, what are you…?"

"You obviously deserve whatever that man is going to give you. You're going back there."

Feliciano started shaking his head in protest as he grabbed his wrists and started pulling him back to the house, and no matter how hard he pushed away, Ludwig's grasp was firm. That was what raised the red flag in his mind: he knew how to hold onto an individual. When they were children, that was the very first thing that he learned how to do. When he was forcing someone to walk, he would pull one arm behind their back and grab the other with the same grip he was now. If anyone was holding them like this, then…

Without even trying, Feliciano roundhouse kicked him in the back, staggering him enough to flee further into the woods. He could hear Ludwig screaming for him to come back, but Feliciano continued to run. There was no doubt about it; this man was not Ludwig, no matter what he claimed. Whoever he was, he could be him while he was away. But it proved one more wrinkle in the plan.

_I…I can't go to the castle now…_ He thought. _If I do, that man can quickly ship me back…he has me cornered…_

He decided on the only plan he could: fleeing the kingdom. The ports were always open, and if he was lucky he could find a ship that was pulling out of the harbor. The thought of leaving meant that he could no longer obtain letters from the real Ludwig anymore, but it no longer mattered. He would always know where Ludwig was, and he'll find a way to contact him from there. Yes, that was the plan he was going to have to go with…

There was screaming behind him, and Feliciano knew that he was nearby. He found himself fleeing in fear, and then freezing: he was right at the edge of a cliff over the ocean. Behind him, he could hear the man catching up to him, stopping once he realized that he was trapped. The young boy turned to Ludwig and finally got the evidence he needed: his eyes were the brightest emerald shade he had ever seen.

"You're…you're not him…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ludwig! You're not him at all! His eyes are not green!" Feliciano stepped forward, finally angry after all these years. "You're the one that's been making my life miserable, aren't you? What did I do to you to make you hate me? And why do you look like him so much?"

"…_**that's just how I am. I can look like anyone I want."**_

Feliciano paused as the man slowly changed in front of him. His hair parted and became a dirtier blond. The outfit wrapped around itself and became what looked like mage's robes _(which scared him immensely)_, barely hiding the familiar eyebrows. And the wings. The wings as white as fallen snow…Feliciano knew exactly who he was.

"You're…you're that angel…from the castle…"

"_**I'm glad you remember me. I haven't forgotten about your sinful face."**_

"W-what? Sinful…?"

"_**You are deviating from the path that we angels wanted from your race. A woman is created to be the caretaker of the family, to love and be loved. A man is created to be the protector of the woman, to be strong and make her happy. A man should not be the one that is protected."**_

"But our men…our men are always protected…"

"_**By their kings and soldiers. Not by male lovers."**_

"…you…you disagree with me loving Ludwig."

"_**That is not love you are feeling, Feliciano. Love is only between a man and a woman. Your emotions are different than the purity that is only between the heteros."**_

"Different? How are my feelings different from love? I think about him all the time, I can't sleep, I can't eat properly and…and…_he's always in my dreams…"_

"_**That is not love, you monster."**_

"What?"

"_**That is obsession."**_

"Obsession? What are you-?"

"_**Many humans cannot understand the difference between love and obsession, for they are almost the same thing. You are of course one of these pathetic beings…and you are the only one who has strayed on this path. Feliciano, you need to go back to the path."**_

"I'm…I'm not the only one…who feels like this." Feliciano looked down, Natalya going through his head. "I'm not the only one in love with someone they aren't supposed to be."

"_**Yes you are, Feliciano. I already had the pleasure of convincing someone else to chance."**_

His eyes widened as a scream echoed from the mansion. Feliciano turned his head in confusion and quickly noticed that the scream was Natalya, echoing as if she was in pain. Meanwhile, the angel merely chuckled to himself, almost proud at what he had done.

"_Natalya…"_

"_**I'm not really sure what they were doing with her…I think you humans call it an exorcism?"**_

"_N-Natalya?"_

He turned back to the angel, who had a smile that was so frightening that Feliciano tried to back up from it, which resulted with him tumbling off the cliff and clinging on as hard as he could. Feliciano was barely able to get both hands on the cliff when he saw the angel walk to him, now completely transformed into Ludwig. He leaned over to him.

"Maybe I should let you know one thing…I can read minds, Feliciano…Ludwig never loved you."

And with one flick of his hand, Feliciano was sent sailing over the cliffs.


	22. Among The Ocean Surface

The first thing he felt was the pain.

The ocean waves crashed onto his body as he felt himself sweeping off to sea. His body ached, so he couldn't flail in panic. His mouth was dead, so he couldn't even scream. He was drifting in and out of consciousness so much that he felt like he couldn't risk swimming to shore. He didn't even know if there was a shore he could swim to. For all he knew, he could've been out for hours, or even days. Where was he…?

He must've drifted out of consciousness, for when he opened his eyes again there was a huge ship passing next to him. Feliciano's mouth still felt too pained to cry out, so he watched himself float helplessly as the ship continued to pass him. Tears quietly fell down his cheeks as he closed his eyes, awaiting the end.

His eyes flickered open again, confused on why didn't feel like floating. Shadows were streaking his face, moving around like they were alive, screaming for something he couldn't catch. No one seemed to notice that he was conscious for those precious few seconds, for he fell out of consciousness again.

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Once his senses gathered together, he found himself lying down on a bed and covered by a warm blanket. His consciousness was fully clear and he was clearly in some form of cabin. Someone was sitting next to him, and when he turned to investigate the figure literally darted up to his feet and was at his side a few seconds later.

"_Feli…Feli, can you hear me?"_

That voice…it sounded so familiar to him…as his vision cleared, he could barely see the figure that was above him. With his blond hair and squared chin…and those…baby blue eyes…staring back into him like that…

"…_who…who are you…?"_

"_You…Feli, don't you know who I am?"_

"…_do you know who I am?"_

"_Mein gott…the fall really was that catastrophic…"_ The man leaned closer. _"It's me, Ludwig. From the castle…remember?"_

He looked at him for a few minutes, trying to see if he could remember anything. He could barely remember the eyes and the posture, the way he would walk as the brother of the future king, and his gentle voice whenever he would've tripped in the gardens. From the corner of his eye, he could see the man before him touch his hand, and his eyes widened.

"…_Ludwig…I remember now…"_

The young man didn't have any reaction on his face, only leaning forward to hug the shaking frame. Instantly, he could feel a surge of emotions running through his veins and his cheeks flushing, and he could just remember having feelings for Ludwig…if this is him. He leaned his head on the other man's shoulders.

"…_Ludwig…is…is Feliciano my real name?"_

"_You still don't…?"_ Ludwig backed up. "Yes, that is your real name. Feliciano Vargas."

"_Oh…I see."_

"Do you remember anything else?"

"…no…" He looked down. _"…just you."_

"Just me? That's a strange thing to remember when you have amnesia."

"Ah!" He blushed. _"I-is that weird?"_

"N-no, it's not weird. I just haven't heard of something like that, that's all."

"O-OK…" Feliciano looked back up. "Um…w-where are we?"

"We're in my father's ship, heading to the castle as of right now. Once we get there, I'm bringing you straight inside."

"Ve? W-why?"

"You were found floating on the ocean. I tried keeping you as warm as possible, but there's a chance that you might have gotten sick."

"…all right…" He couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

**/=+=/**

As they pulled into the harbor, Ludwig quickly led Feliciano to his carriage, bringing him straight to the castle. The young boy couldn't help but look outside the window to the castle they were going to, surprised by everything that he was seeing. And yet, everything felt so familiar…

"Are you remembering anything else?"

"Um…no…but I remember…living here once."

Ludwig smiled as the carriage finally reached inside. He placed a hand on the younger boy and left the carriage, leaving Feliciano inside wondering what was going on. He tried to look outside, only seeing him talking to a figure who looked rather disturbed by what he was saying, before heading further into the castle. Soon, another figure joined Ludwig as they both headed toward the carriage. Feliciano straightened himself up and tried not to be conspicuous.

"Feli…"

"Ludwig…" He turned to the other man. "Is he someone I know?"

"Yes. He was your teacher, Feli. And a good one at that."

"Oh…" He bowed to him. "Hello."

"Hello. My name is Roderich Edelstein. I hope we get to know one another in the coming days."

"We've done so before."

"Heheh…we did, didn't we?"

Feliciano giggled as he walked out of the carriage and followed the two of them into the castle, where another man was standing before them. His hair was platinum white, red eyes staring back at him. Feliciano couldn't help but hide behind Ludwig, whimpering in fear.

"Something wrong?"

"_That man over there looks scary…"_

"Hey, is that Feli I see?" The man walked to him and started laughing. "Well, this is totally awesome! I just sent out a letter saying that bruder returned! Never knew you could run that fast!"

"Um…w-who are you?"

"Wait, wha-?"

"It's a long story, bruder…just let me explain it to you later…" Ludwig turned to Feliciano. "This is Gilbert, my half-brother."

"Hey, _**full**_ brother!"

"He doesn't remember everything, I might as well tell him the whole truth."

"Amnesia? Well, that sucks."

"Oh…_brother…"_ Feliciano walked toward him. "P-pleased to meet you again."

"Pleasure's all mine." Gilbert looked at Ludwig. "How'd you find him?"

"Floating in the ocean."

"Bloody fuck…well, we need you to take an examination."

"W-will it hurt?"

"No, of course not." Roderich smiled. "Ludwig will be there with you, am I right?"

"Y-yeah…"

**/=+=/**

Gilbert watched through the door window as Feliciano was being checked by the doctor. Ludwig hadn't once left his side, holding it as blood was drawn from him and assuring him that everything was going to be all right. Feliciano's smile was oddly frail, almost scared by how close he was but too confused not to say anything about it.

"He's not going to leave his side, sir."

"Well, bruder is rather clingy to his friends." Gilbert sighed. "Then again, it wasn't as if he had many…"

"He was quite the studious one, wasn't he?"

"He was supposed to be the heir to the throne, after all…"

"Yet you were chosen instead." Roderich rubbed his chin. "Do you have any idea why, my lord?"

"…"

"_I don't want to be exiled with father…I want to stay with my brother…"_

"My lord?"

"_I just found out I had one, and I don't want to leave him!"_

"My lord?"

"_**Is that what you wish for?"**_

"**Gilbert!"**

"Gah! Don't **do** that!"

***ahem*** "I'm sorry about that. You were just zoning out on me."

"Right…sorry about that. Was just thinking about something."

"No offense was taken." Roderich turned to Ludwig and Feliciano inside the room. "Well, after they get out, we should tell him about that Bonnefois family that he was serving-"

"No. Don't."

"Sir?"

"Ludwig told me that he found Feliciano in the ocean near their house. Doesn't that make you wonder if any of them have any chance of being the ones that pushed him in?"

"Are you saying that they are suspects, sir?"

"It's better than sending him back in to a place where they may try for a second attempt on his life." Gilbert turned around. "More than likely, someone is going to start an investigation on what happened to Feliciano in that city. I want you to send someone to aid in their search. Make sure they don't know they're from the castle. Get a mercenary if need be."

"May I ask why, my lord?"

"I want to know if anyone in the family is the reason why Feliciano was in the sea and why he has no memory of anything. Once that family is crossed of the list, then we can tell Feliciano about them." Gilbert grinned. "We don't want to tell the killer that they failed, of course."

"As you wish."

**/=+=/**

"Is this my room?"

"Yes. The doctor said you needed recovery, so I thought you should have a nice room."

"Oh…thank you." He smiled. "Thank you, Ludwig."

"It's nothing, really. This used to be your room, you know."

"Wow…it's way too pretty to be my room…"

"It kinda is…Gilbert transformed it into a guest room."

"Oh." Feliciano blushed. "I guess I am just a guest…"

"All right…" Ludwig turned around. "Your nightgown is on the bed."

"W-wait…where are you going?"

"I have to meet up with my father. I won't be far." Ludwig smiled. "I'll be here first thing tomorrow, all right?"

"O-OK."

Feliciano watched as Ludwig closed the door behind him, leaving the young boy alone in his room. He quietly put on the nightgown _(which fit him perfectly)_ and climbed into the bed, looking at the night sky that was outside the windows. The night looked familiar for some reason, and he couldn't help but feel oddly sad about it. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, he started to believe that the stars looked more like floating lanterns.

**/=+=/**

**I am seriously believing that I should write an Arthur redemption fic. Not this Arthur; no, that guy is screwed. I mean England in general.**


	23. Once The Nightmares Start

_The first thing he felt was the pain._

_The air felt cold and damn, almost lifeless in atmosphere. All he could hear was the dripping of water onto the cold, rock floor that he was lying upon, and almost feeling like a prison cell. As he turned his head, his right leg continued to throb in pain. There was a splint there, almost like he broke it. Wait…breaking his leg…?_

_Quietly, Feliciano tried to stand, stumbling a few times before finally getting his balance. It was so dark, he couldn't see anywhere around him. He stumbled on the wall before feeling steel bars in front of him. His skin started to crawl as he continued to feel the bars that were before him. This felt oddly familiar: these crevices, these bumps, this small patch of rust that was from-_

_Suddenly, fingers came from the darkness and started to caress his hands. Feliciano froze as the hand continued to reach out to his arms, the touch feeling oddly familiar. He quickly threw it off and crashed onto the wall behind him, whimpering and crying. The hands quietly pulled out of the bars and a familiar chuckle echoed out._

"_Oh, I'm sorry…did I hurt you, Feliciano?"_

"…_get away from me…"_

"_Oh, but I can't. You see, you're hurt. Someone has to take care of you after you broke your leg…"_

"_I-I can take care of myself…I don't need you…"_

"_Oh, but you do need me. Francine told me that you were in desperate need of help, after your suicide attempt."_

"_M-my what?"_

"_When we found you, you had jumped out of your window and were bleeding to death. In fact, you were unconscious the entire trip home~"_

"_H-home?" Feliciano froze._

"_Welcome home, Feliciano. This time, I'll make sure you never leave my side, my dear, sweet Feliciano…"_

_It was only then that he realized that he was naked, and that the man was laughing and walking away. He looked around, hoping desperately that there would be a window he could look at to determine the time, but without success. Broken, he crawled to the side of the cell and started to cry. There was no way that he could be here. He was found by Ludwig, wasn't he? He wasn't here…back in this hell hole…no…he couldn't be…_

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The light caught his attention, and Feliciano's eyes flickered open. He turned his head and felt something wet on his cheeks. Without saying anything, he lifted his hand and started to wipe his eyes. He was crying for some reason…maybe it was a dream…a dream he can't remember…

A light knock on the door startled him out of it, and he jolted up and out. He quietly opened the door and noticed Ludwig on the other side, a worried glance in his direction. It was then that he realized that he looked indecent, and slammed the door on his face. Poor Ludwig didn't see it coming.

"I-Is something wrong, Feli?"

"N-no! _I just needed to fix something…"_

"Fix?"

"I-I mean change! I was changing!"

"Feli, we were washing new clothes for you. I'm here to drop them off."

Feliciano stopped for a minute, going back to the door and seeing that Ludwig was holding onto a set for him to wear. The clothes looked oddly familiar, but without even thinking he snatched the clothes and closed the door behind him. They weren't that hard to put on, smiling at how comfortable they were…and yet how familiar they looked. He found himself staring at it for hours: the gold trim, the bright blue, the way the jacket…flares out like that in the back…he found himself flapping it for winded effect.

"You finished in there?"

"Yeah!" Feliciano kept flapping the jacket. "What's with the back?"

"Huh?" Ludwig walked in. "Oh…the back."

"Who made this?"

"…mein bruder. He thought it would make you look more _'awesome'_ than usual…"

"Awesome…" He stared at the reflection in the mirror. "Wouldn't that mean adding more spikes to the shoulders?"

"Well, the last time we did that to an outfit-"

"_Someone skewered their hand and Gilbert blamed it on one of the servants."_

"That wasn't a fun day…" Ludwig looked up. "You remember that?"

"Just a bit of the details." He answered, still looking at the outfit in the reflection. "I think I wore this outfit before, too. Or something like it."

"Well, you used to be my valet. That was your outfit while you lived here."

"Oh." Feliciano couldn't help but giggle. "It felt familiar."

"I'm glad that you're actually remembering something."

"It's only be one day. For all we know, that would be the only thing I remember." Feliciano looked up. _I hope that's not the case…_

"Let's not worry about that for now. You must be hungry, am I right?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Then follow me."

**/=+=/**

Ludwig had taken Feliciano's hand and escorted him through the castle to what he called the dining hall. The younger man could barely remember half of the building, and not notice anything else. Most of the servants were smiling at him, almost as if they were expecting him to remember them, and he couldn't help but look away in guilt, unable to remember anyone in the castle.

"Is something wrong?"

"Do I know anyone else here, Ludwig?"

"Well, you were friends with everyone."

"Oh…"

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing-"

"I know…it just means that I need to remember more than I thought…"

"It's all right. Most people with amnesia don't remember everything. You only need to remember the important things."

"OK…" _But I already do…_

At that thought, he felt his grip on Ludwig get a little tighter, startling the both of them. They ended up in an awkward silence as they both headed to the dining room where the others were located. For some reason, Feliciano felt that someone was oddly missing…

"Is the king here?"

"No. He is on a diplomatic mission, and Gilbert's in his place."

"Your brother is the king?"

"Temporarily."

"Ah…"

He sat in an open chair, waiting for the others to arrive, and looked up as the other maids came to serve the two that were currently there. Ludwig quietly started eating, confusing the younger man to start eating as well. Is it just him, or had it been so long since he actually eaten something…?

"This is really good!"

"I figured you'd like it. It's your favorite dish, after all."

"Oh. I noticed~" He couldn't help but coo. "I should thank the cook for this."

"Do so after you're done eating. Knowing you, you'll probably be hungry after this."

"Eh? But I think this would be filling enough."

"You'll see."

"Ve?"

Before he knew it, the door slammed open, and Gilbert and Roderich came through the door to greet the day. Feliciano had no idea what the king-in-charge said _(it was in a different language)_ before plopping into the seat at the end of the table, Roderich sitting next to him. From what he could gather, it was a rather tense argument.

"_Ludwig, what are they saying?"_

"_I dunno. Apparently, they communicate in their own language if they want to keep it a secret."_ He answered.

"_Wow…"_

"Mar sin, cad a bhí an tuarascáil?"

"Tá i bhfad ní. Níl an spéirbhean ceann ag caint, ach ina luaitear an rud éigin faoi na socruithe sochraide."

"Agus cad na hiníonacha?"

"Nach ndearna sé teagmháil leo."

"Sin breá." Gilbert straightened his collar. "So…how is Feliciano?"

"I'm remembering a few things." He answered with a smile. "I just remembered the name of the king and that he thought I was a girl."

"_**Eh?"**_ Ludwig turned to him in confusion. "I don't remember that!"

"Well, it's something between him and me~" Feliciano giggled. "So…what is going to happen today? I would assume that there would be a party or something."

"No parties for a while. Especially with the actual king out." Gilbert grinned. "I figured that Roderich should have some time with you to remind you of a few things."

"Oh, I see." Feliciano smiled. "I still don't remember anything about him, so I think this is what I need."

"That's good." Roderich nodded. "I can handle a few hours of lessons with him."

"Well, he's so _**bland**_ that I don't think you'll remember him!"

"Ve?"

"Please ignore him." Roderich fixed his glasses, hiding the peeved look on his face. "We'll start our lesson after breakfast."

"OK~"

"Sweet. Cause I want a long talk with my brother here."

"Huh?"

**/=+=/**

"So you seem to remember all the lessons."

"Well, only if you talk about it." Feliciano rubbed the back of his head. "All I'm having problems with is my memories."

"At least we know that it's personal memories and not skills and lessons." Roderich nodded. "That's good to hear. At least you can function in society without people taking notices of your…problem."

"_Yeah…"_ He blushed. _"I guess…"_

"So tell me what you specifically remember." Roderich sat down next to him. "Perhaps I can fill in the blanks."

"All right…" Feliciano strained his brain. "When I woke up, I only remembered Ludwig."

"How much of him?"

"Just the name…" He lied, blushing quietly. "And then I remember the king, Gilbert, my first lesson with you…it didn't end well, if I remember correctly."

"I remember that." Roderich sighed. "You kept asking me about the paintings in the main hall when we were talking about how to read."

"But the paintings were really beautiful…I don't think they're there anymore, right?"

"The former king took them down, unfortunately."

"Oh…"

"_**I haven't forgotten about your sinful face."**_

"Roderich, is there such thing as angels?"

"Hm?"

"Like angels who grant wishes?" Feliciano looked generally curious.

"Well…there has not been one mention of actual angel sightings in the kingdom, so I'm not even sure if they're real." Roderich answered. "The truth of the matter is, we only know about them in the legends of the kingdom, passed down by the royal family for generations."

"I see…"

Feliciano looked away for a minute outside the windows, leaving Roderich to wonder something. The young boy was obviously hiding something, or at the very least had hidden something. He was going to write a wish about his former master before discouragingly leaving the wish behind. He barely remembered that he was talking, but of what, he didn't know. Maybe he stopped believing in angels…?

"I'm sure you have an angel that is watching over you, Feliciano. He was probably the one that had saved you from your fall in the ocean."

"Maybe." He smiled. "Thank you, Roderich. I was a little sad that the angels were the only thing I could remember."

"Well, maybe your angel is special~"

**/=+=/**

"You haven't told Feliciano about Francine?"

"No. And I'm not planning on doing so."

"Why?" Ludwig was confused. "When he was with me, he kept telling me that he wanted to stay with one of the maid girls there. He was supposed to protect her!"

"She can protect herself, if my time with her meant anything." Unconsciously, Gilbert started rubbing his cheek. "She'll be fine."

"But Feliciano seemed dedicated to protecting her…we can't just leave her alone like that after all the time he poured to be with her."

"Haven't you considered the fact that maybe it was Elizabeta that pushed him into the ocean?"

"Wha-?"

"Everyone backstabs someone whether they know of it or not." Gilbert stated. "We don't know if the family, heck, she was the reason he doesn't have his memories and was found near death."

"Bruder…"

"Until we find out the truth, no one should know of each other." He made a cross with his arms. "Besides, if Francine is really as bad as we're assuming she is, we don't want to send a lamb back to the slaughterhouse."

"…I guess…"

"Look, you go ahead and be the emotional rock for him. I'll handle with the actual investigation."

Ludwig nodded for a while before noticing that Roderich and Feliciano were heading toward them, Feliciano smiling the entire time. They were talking about an old time they had together before Feliciano went to Ludwig within seconds.

"So how were the lessons?" Gilbert asked with an amused look.

"Turns out he doesn't need them." Roderich answered. "He's perfectly fine function wise."

"That's good." Ludwig smiled. "You had me worried."

"I-I did?" Feliciano asked with a light blush.

"Well, I don't want more things to worry about."

"True." He smiled. "It's just memories at this point."

"All right." Ludwig looked to Gilbert. "I'll be showing him around the castle if you need us."

"Totally." Gilbert waved. "Roderich, we have business to attend to."

"Of course."

**/=+=/**

**I will not translate the dialogue between Gilbert and Roderich. Why? Story reasons, but I don't think that's going to stop you ;D**


	24. A Report is In

_When he woke up, Feliciano could still feel the splint attached to his leg. He was back in the cold and lonely cell, filled with familiar scratches on the walls and the wails of begging from the other side of the building. He could barely remember anything when he stood up and tried to walk; all that were in his mind was the fact that __he__ found him when he was trying to escape, and now he was back in this hellish place. The cage where innocence goes to die…_

_It was strange. Almost as if he couldn't remember anything about his past at all. He fled the house that was sending him back to the man. But what house? Who was living there? Was it a good life? Was he loved there? They must have, if they bought him from this hell hole. But whatever happened, he was back here. Feliciano tried to muddle together anything that could resemble a memory, but nothing came. He felt cheated, almost as if even his memories can't comfort him here…_

_The scream from the other side of the room continued to grow louder, and he couldn't really identify it. From the darkness, he could see shadows of the guards charge toward the cage with large sticks, and there were loud signs of rattling on the bars. They started screaming at each other in a language he could no longer translate, and the inmate's cries went down to sheer whimpers. He was about to wonder why when he started hearing zippers._

_Feliciano backed up from behind the cage in shock, hearing the chuckles of the guards and the whimpers of the slave begging for mercy before hearing nothing but grunts. He crawled to the tightest corner of the cage and started to cry, knowing that one day that was going to happen to him. It had happened before, and just thinking about it brought back the pain…_

_The sounds lasted what felt like forever before they finally ended. The prisoner no longer made any sound, and the guards were leaving with their satisfaction hanging on their lips. Fortunately, they were satisfied enough to breeze past his cage, not once batting an eyelash to him. The young man kept to the edge of the prison, crying quietly and hoping that there would be some form of salvation for him._

_It was then that one name started to creep into his head. Feliciano looked up, staring into the darkness, wondering what the name meant for him. Quietly, he crawled forward and found a small pack of dust before him and sprawled it all over the floor. Then just as the name started to escape him, he slowly wrote the name on the dust._

"_Ludwig"_

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The morning sun woke him, and Feliciano found his finger sticking out of the bed. He sat up quietly and saw the pointer finger swirling around, almost as if he was trying to write something. He concluded that he was trying to write something in his dreams, but for some reason, he couldn't remember the dream at all. All he was aware of was that just thinking about remembering sent shivers down his spine.

_Those dreams…I think I had them twice already…_

He decided not to think about it as he headed to the side to get dressed. Feliciano hoped that no one minded him wearing the same outfit twice. No one was visiting, so it wasn't like they were going to mind. The young man just smiled as he headed out of the room, deciding to check on Ludwig without prompt. Hopefully, it wouldn't be that surprising for him.

His memory started up again, and he found himself in front of Ludwig's room. The door was unlocked, so Feliciano quietly opened it and headed inside. It looked like an ordinary bedroom, and by the looks of the teddy bear next to the bed, this was definitely Ludwig's.

"_Wait…this teddy bear…"_ Feliciano picked it up. _"This is…"_

"Oh, goodness. Don't scare me like that."

Feliciano looked up and noticed that Ludwig was staring at him, his sword out of the holster, sighing and putting the blade away. The young boy just stood up, bear in hands, and hid part of his face from him, trying to hide the blush on his face. Ludwig's eyes turned toward the bear.

"You found it."

"Y-yeah…" He stared at it. "I used to carry this around, didn't I?"

"It was the only thing you had left when we found you." Ludwig smiled. "I kept onto to it in case you'd come back."

"You even sewed up his arm!"

"I wanted it to be in top shape."

"Thank you~" Feliciano cuddled it. "At least it doesn't smell like smoke anymore…"

"Got it washed out, that's why."

"Oh…" Feliciano smiled. "I missed you…"

"You remembered it?"

"I have to. It's the only thing connecting you and…"

"…and…?"

"…nevermind." A strange shadow crossed his face. "I'm hungry."

Ludwig stared at Feliciano as he tried his best to have that genuine smile on his lips. It was strange, but he could have sworn that this was the fakest smile he had ever seen on him. He took a deep breath and held the younger boy's shoulders, making him flinch.

"Are you all right?"

"…yes…yes I am."

"You're shaking."

"I…I'm just remembering some of the bad stuff, that's all. But stuff that isn't totally hard! Please, Ludwig. I'm fine."

"…all right…if you insist."

**/=+=/**

"So what was Magnus's report?"

"Well, Francine hasn't sent in a missing person's report yet."

"She hasn't?"

"No. She keeps saying that she's busy."

"With what she said yesterday? I keep thinking that it's a cover for something."

"He also reports that she's becoming quite distrustful of the townsfolk. According to the rumors, her family is supposedly haunted."

"Haunted? By a spirit?"

"Perhaps. There are rumors of wailing and screaming, shaking cupboards and whatnot. But that is not the main heading of the report."

"Then what is?"

"The spirit is extremely dedicated to making sure he doesn't find out anything."

"Really? What makes him say so?"

"Well, the spiritual activity is extremely high when he is in the house. And there are voices that tell him to leave."

"So the spirit is trying to make sure that we don't find the truth…is that it?"

"It gets extremely violent when he starts talking about Feliciano. And apparently Francine doesn't want to talk about him."

"So there's a supernatural reason why Feliciano's here…" Gilbert shook his head. "And Elizabeta?"

"He said he hasn't seen her."

"During the day? Man, Francine really is hiding something."

"Sir, if I may say something…perhaps Francine is separate from the supernatural force?"

"Perhaps, but for now I'm connecting the two of them. That will be all."


	25. Is There a Reason, Vatti?

A few days had passed since Feliciano was in the castle. He was slowly starting to merge into life in the castle, helping the maids and talking to his former friends about how he was living his former life as the personal servant of Ludwig. Apparently he was quite the shy one _(shy? Seriously?)_ who tended to stammer during his first few years.

"Was I really scared of everything?"

"Well, not everything. Most things, really." Ludwig scratched the bottom of his chin. "But after what happened, it wasn't that surprising…"

"Eh? W-what happened, Ludwig?"

"…I think you should remember it on your own first…"

Feliciano found himself not questioning it as he followed the general to the dining room. He thought it was kind of weird that he trusted him 100% with his life, not even remembering why he did so. Being in love with him couldn't be the only reason why he trusted him…

"Are you all right?"

"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"You're a little pale."

"P-pale?" Feliciano didn't seem to notice it. "Well…I think I should be eating a little more, don't you think?"

"You should. Like I should be considering looking after you a little more."

"E-eh?"

"Hm? How did your skin get so red after being that pale?"

"_I-I don't know…"_

"You must be sick with that changing skin color. Goodness, what am I going to do with you…?" Ludwig sighed. "Let's just have breakfast right now and see if that makes you feel any better."

"All right."

Feliciano smiled at him, causing the older man to turn away and hide his face as they finally reached the dining room. To their surprise, there was another figure joining Gilbert and Roderich at their meal, one that stood at the sight of him and which made Ludwig walk forward with shock all over his face.

"Vatti?"

"Ah, Ludwig. It's so good to see you again~" The man hugged him back. "And would you look at that? You have Feliciano back at your side! Here I thought it would never happen again!"

_What does he mean by that?_ "I-I…it's nice to meet you…"

"Eh? What does he mea-?"

Ludwig quietly whispered everything he needed to know in his ear, and his father nodded in understanding. He turned toward a confused-looking Feliciano, smiled and walked toward him, standing a good distance before him so that he wouldn't scare the confused man.

"I'm the king of this land. Legolas Beilschmidt." He lifted up his hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"N-nice to see you too." Feliciano blushed, shaking his hand. "My lord."

"Ah…you don't have to be so stiff, Feliciano. You're a loyal dog to my youngest son, after all! I trust you completely."

"Eh? Dog?"

"It's not a bad thing, you know! Ludwig loves dogs!"

The two of them couldn't help but blush at that statement, leaving Gilbert laughing uncontrollably in the background. Feliciano started rubbing his cheeks and dashed quickly to his seat at the table, leaving the son alone with his father. They exchanged glances for half a second before the king escorted him out, leaving Feliciano at the whims of the idiotic prince.

"Ah, Feliciano, you should have seen the boobs on that woman! They were huge! Heck, you can probably play drums on those things!"

"Please try not to sound so rude and perverted in front of Feliciano, my lord." Roderich fixed his glasses before leaning in, threatening. "Bhí an teagmháil chased amach as an teach."

"What? Are you serious?" Gilbert leaned forward. "You can't take that tone with me! I'm your boss! Besides, conas a rinne a tharlaíonn? An raibh sé é féin a thabhairt ar shiúl?"

"I know how to deal with you, you know. Spiorad an ruaig air amach."

"Bhí eagla air de roinnt spiorad diabhal?"

"Uimh Dar leis, seilbh an spiorad dó agus ghlac sé air féin amach."

"Tch…you win this time, Roderich…" Gilbert leaned back, seemingly defeated. "Is é seo an spiorad cinnte amach dó."

Feliciano looked back and forth from his chair, wondering what in the world was going on in the argument between the two forces before him. He almost wanted to stop the argument, but seeing as how it was a language he could not understand, he stepped back and started eating his breakfast in peace, wondering if he should step in anyway.

"Buille faoi thuairim mé ansin nár cheart dúinn a insint dóibh mar gheall ar a marthanais?"

"Ah, ag an ráta seo, d'fhéadfadh muid chomh maith a insint dheartháir go mór dúinn a teach aíochta nua buan!" Gilbert grinned and turned to Feliciano. "So…how are you?"

"Oh, I'm…fine." Feliciano blushed, eating his eggs. "I was just wondering what you guys were talking about?"

"We were just arguing as usual." Roderich answered with a sigh. "Gilbert here is a bit of an idiot, as you no doubt already realized."

"I just thought he was loud." Feliciano answered back with a smile. "It's all right. I'm not that worried about it."

"Ah…you're so kind, Feliciano~" Gilbert's eyes started to sparkle. "There should be more perfect individuals like you."

"Oh, I'm not…perfect…" He looked down, blushing lightly. "I'm just ordinary…"

"Stop being so modest, Feliciano!"

"B-but…" He looked away. "Really…"

**/=+=/**

"How was the uprising, vatti?"

"It's going rather smoothly, fortunately." The king smiled. "I don't know how in the world my brother was able to rally such an army against us, though…it troubles me."

"Most of them are employed by the nobles that supported him, remember father?" Ludwig stepped forward. "The rich have the resources to fund another war."

"I know…that's what worries me."

Ludwig could see the stress taking its toll on the man he knew as the true king of the land. His older brother took that title away for those cruel and heartless twelve years of the land's history. There was no way to bring back the countless of lives that were taken during that dictatorship…during those horrible times…especially…

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

"Vatti?"

"Feliciano."

"Uh-!"

"I remember it too, Ludwig. And you need not worry about the noble's army. Our subjects are loyal; they will not want a repeat of what happened before."

"I know…" He took a deep sigh. "I don't want…to see him in that same situation, you know."

"Those are your worries, and I have mine." The king went to the window. "I wish to stop the war before my time comes."

"Before your time…why?"

"You already know why. Or have you forgotten about it?"

"…Gilbert."

"Exactly. I do not wish to see an incident where a father and son must battle to the death. If anything, it should be kept between brothers."

"If you did not wish for this to happen, then why did you give the title of future king to my brother?"

The king stood there for a minute, unanswering, leaving his son standing there with a confused look on his face. Everyone in the kingdom knew that it was Gilbert, the son of the ousted king, and not Ludwig, the actual flesh-and-bone, who was the heir to the throne. Yet no one really had a clear answer on why. And by the look on the king's face…

"I…I don't know either."

"What?"

"I just thought that…he would be a better king than you. You are more…emotional than he is." The king was rubbing his head, trying to remember his reasons. "He knows how to handle himself in a room full of nobles. You only know how to command troops in a battlefield."

"Of course I do. That was the very thing I trained for the minute you announced your heir." Ludwig was getting rather annoyed. "I would've been a better king if you had given me the crown! Why did you think otherwise, huh?"

"Because you have a weakness!"

"…Feliciano."

"You openly admit it."

"You're calling him a weakness?"

"I'm saying that it's glaringly obvious that it is." The king leaned forward, sighing. "Look, I don't know why I did it either. But that is my best guess at that moment."

"Are you-?"

"Sire! There's another uprising in the northern mountains!"

"_Another one…"_

"Let me handle it, vatti…" Ludwig spat. "It's apparently the only thing I can do now."

Without so much as another word, Ludwig stormed off with the messenger, leaving the king alone in the hall to contemplate on what just happened. A few minutes later, the banquet doors flew open, and the three inhabitants inside started talking to each other about something he couldn't catch. Gilbert was the first to notice the difference.

"Hey, where's bruder?"

"…he's been sent to help stop another uprising in the northern mountains." The king turned to him. "They're starting to pop up somehow."

"_God…another one…"_ Gilbert grumbled. _"Bastard can't catch a break."_

"W-where is he now?" Feliciano stepped forward.

It was then that the king got a good look at Feliciano. He was such an innocent figure, having gone through hell and back and yet still having the eyes of a five year old asking for dinner to be served. This was what he meant. This is why Ludwig could never be the king. If anything happened to him, he would break down. The kingdom would suffer for it. Yeah…was that the reason?

"He would already be on his way by now. He's one for being quick to the job."

"Oh, all right…" He looked down. "I just wanted to say good-bye before he left."

"Don't worry. The town isn't that far from the castle." Roderich smiled. "He'll be back before dinner."

"OK~" Feliciano chirped. "I'll go ahead and wait for him, then."

"That's my Feliciano." Gilbert giggled. "Now then…why don't we head to the gardens?"

**/=+=/**

**For those of you who don't buy the whole **_**"yeah, you have a weakness and that's why you're not king"**_** excuse…it's a plot point. I'm just saying that because I know that someone is going to complain about how easy that explanation is.**


	26. To Take It Personally

"Do you remember the gardens we have, Feliciano?"

"Not all that much, no."

"Well, that's great, cause I'm going to show you it now!"

"OK…"

Feliciano really had no idea what he was in store for, but he decided not to complain about it as he followed Gilbert and Roderich to the back of the castle. He felt hurt that Ludwig would just leave without warning him beforehand, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had a good reason other than to join his comrades in war. He was always telling him what he was doing, after all…

"Here we are."

Feliciano looked up, noticing that he was in the middle of the gardens. His head started darting around as he started to remember a few things: the familiar rose maze that he never really finished when he was here, a flower garden filled with daisies, the trees that reached over their heads…

"Wait…"

"What's wrong, Feli?"

He was kneeling over the daisy garden, looking at all of them, staring at two in particular. Roderich leaned forward after him, looking as Feliciano reached forward and petted the daisies in his hand. That's when they both realized that the two daisies' stems had grown around each other, spinning together until they looked like a rope.

"_This was…"_

"Yes?"

"Me and Ludwig…a long time ago, we wondered if flowers can grow into this formation." Feliciano tilted the flowers so that they could see the spinning stem. "He said it was impossible because even if they twirled once, they would be growing opposite of each other so that they would only cross once…"

"I guess he remembers it, then." Gilbert grinned. "Ludwig did tend this garden after you left."

"H-he did?" His head darted up. "Wow, I-I didn't know…"

"That's startling to you?" Roderich stared at him in confusion. "You know how close Ludwig considers you, right?"

"_Yeah…"_ Feliciano looked down, blushing. _"I just didn't think he considered me that close…"_

"Heck, he considers you his greatest friend Feliciano!" Gilbert giggled. "Would you be considered anything else?"

To Roderich's surprise, Feliciano seemed a little hurt by Gilbert's statement. Before he could question it any further, a maid came forward and told Gilbert that his king needed him. He gave a glance to his valet before heading forward, leaving the two of them alone. Feliciano continued to gaze at the flowers, wondering what he should be saying at a time like this.

"Feliciano…can we talk for a minute?"

"Well, you're here, aren't you? You might as well." He looked up, trying to hide his pain with a smile.

"Well then, let us talk over there."

"All right."

Roderich stood up and took Feliciano's hand as they headed into the rose maze. Gilbert had forced him to wander through one time in the high hopes that he had the brains to be his valet. To everyone's surprise, Roderich found his way through by the start of dinner time _(the fastest time he ever found)_ and he was officially his valet. Feliciano, on the other hand, was lost for about an entire week. That would explain why his grip was tightening, even though it was only on his sleeves.

"Don't worry; we won't get lost. I know where we're going."

"_All right…"_

Feliciano seemed extremely hurt by something. Finally, Roderich found what he was looking for: a fountain with a quiet bench area. He took the young boy there and seated him down, taking his place next to him a comfortable distance away. For some reason, Feliciano didn't want to look at him in the eye. Roderich looked around, wondering if he could figure out what was wrong with him…

_Of course._ "Feliciano, do you remember the festival we had a month ago?"

"Eh? Oh, uh…a little bit of it. Not a lot." Feliciano looked up into the air. "I just remember watching the lanterns going up into the sky."

"Do you remember your lantern?"

"…n-no, of course not. I didn't have one." He answered. "I was too…poor…to afford one."

"Oh is that so? Well then, I should have to work on my memorization skills a bit more, because I remember you abandoning a lantern and returning to the castle. Was that yours?"

Feliciano froze.

"W-what did you…how did you…?"

"I have to admit that I was trying to find a shortcut back to the castle and I found myself getting lost…yet again." Roderich fixed his glasses. "Passing by, I noticed you holding a lantern in your hands before just abandoning it and leaving the area. Did something tell you otherwise?"

Feliciano stopped for a minute before looking up into the air, blushing and wondering exactly what to say. Roderich watched on, wondering what was bothering the young boy and whether or not this could be a key to figuring out he ended up in such a state. A few long minutes passed before he finally turned his head around.

"I…I was about to write my wish and…someone told me not to."

"Someone told you…?"

"I can't remember his face, but…he told me that my wish was wrong and filled with sin…"

"Sin?"

"I-I don't even know what I wished for…and…he said I was wrong in asking for it." Feliciano leaned forward. _"B-but it…it reminded me of…something else…"_

"Feliciano?"

"…I…" He turned to Roderich. "Please don't tell anyone else, Roderich?"

"I-I swear that I won't." Roderich blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I…I'm in love with Ludwig."

"You are…?"

"_I don't know when it started…all I know is that I can't stop thinking about him and every time he holds any part of me, it makes me feel so happy inside…"_ Feliciano looked down. _"I've read so many times that those emotions means that I'm in love…but it's Ludwig, so I don't know what it is I'm feeling."_

"…perhaps…it's just happiness from being separated from him for so long?"

"That's what I thought too…but it hasn't gone away yet. It would have at this point, because I've been hearing and seeing him daily afterwards." He turned back up. "What am I feeling, Roderich?"

"…well…it does sound like love, but I've never really heard a case where these types of emotions are toward someone of the same sexual identity." Roderich scratched his cheek. "Well…I guess it's love then. I don't hear anything that might mean otherwise."

"But someone told me that it was wrong."

"To be in love?"

"_With someone like me…a man falling in love with a man…"_

"I see…" Roderich fixed his glasses. He knew his answer now. "Look, knowing Ludwig, he would be more than willing to hear that come out of you."

"E-eh? But what if he doesn't love me back? What if I ruin his life forever?"

"You're too important in his life, Feliciano. I'm sure one confession is not going to ruin his life. Besides, even if he does not return your feelings, he will not turn away from you. He still cares for you, Feliciano. Please remember that."

"…I guess." Feliciano blushed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And don't worry. I won't tell anyone else what you have told me." _Except for Gilbert, but I'll leave out the important details._

"Thank you, Roderich."

"Now, let's get out of here. Gilbert is probably looking for us."

"Lead the way." Feliciano smiled.

**/=+=/**

Ludwig had never seen a fight at this scale up close.

As he was led to the general's tent, he couldn't help but notice how the soldiers were bringing back their wounded. Some were screaming for help. Others were crawling on their own in hopes of someone to save them. Ludwig almost stepped on a dead body, freaking him out and immediately alerting nearby soldiers to take him away.

"How are the men?" Ludwig asked.

"The men are doing well, sire." The lieutenant answered. "We are forcing the majority of the army back to the mountains. Once we get them even further up, we should be able to get them to surrender and disband their troop forces for the time being."

"Yes, I can see that they're doing well out there." Ludwig turned to him. "Have you considered back attacks?"

"We've already countered some surprise assaults, if that is what you're asking."

"Good…then my work here will be minimal."

"That's the problem. We are losing a lot of men fast. They appear to have a general working among them."

"Well then…" Ludwig brought out his blade. "Let me to this general."

"But my prince…"

"It's all right. I know what I'm doing."

Ludwig didn't know how or why, but he felt so mad toward his father that he started charging toward the battle without even hearing one word of complaint. His father couldn't even bother to give him an answer why he didn't inherit his true title, so why should he care about what happens to him?

"_**Perfect. That's just where I want you."**_

A split second later, a blade pierced through his stomach, out of nowhere. Ludwig found himself unable to turn around, feeling the blade dig deeper and deeper into his chest. He could barely see the face of the man that attacked him: straw-blond hair with the strangest eyebrows…

"_Guh…"_

"_**You've been careless, Ludwig Beilschmidt. But don't worry. It's not your fault."**_

"_Just who the hell are you? Are you after the throne? Do you work for the former king…?"_

"_**Now why would I work for a man as cruel and heartless as him? No, his uprising will fail."**_ The blade went in deeper. _**"I'm here for a man more evil than he is."**_

"_What…?"_

"_**You already know the man I speak of. An innocent face that holds such an evil heart and soul…"**_

"…_Fe…Feli…?"_

"_**There you are."**_

"_You…!"_

"_**Don't you worry. You won't be here to see what I have in store for him. Nor will you care."**_

The blade was taken out, and the general crumpled to the ground.


	27. Checkmate

"Oh wow…is that what that word means?"

"Yes. My language with Gilbert is very complex and precise. Do you remember yours with Ludwig?"

"No…I don't remember much…"

"Don't worry. Ludwig will most likely teach you again."

"I hope so. Gilbert told me that it sounded very beautiful."

"I almost remember…I think."

Roderich could only roll his eyes. Feliciano's memory seems to remember the strangest things sometimes…never something he actually needed to know. As they headed further into the castle, they couldn't help but notice that the servants, maids and nobles were running past them in shock. Roderich couldn't help but cock an eyebrow of amusement.

"What's going on?" Feliciano sounded worried.

"It's probably nothing big." Roderich headed forward. "There's a good chance that it's just Gilbert doing something irrational again. _Seriously, I cannot leave this man alone for too long…"_

Feliciano stared at him as the two of them headed on, curious on what really was going on. All Roderich could catch was that the paces of all the figures were extremely fast for something that Gilbert did. At this point of existence, every single person in this entire kingdom knew that whenever something important was going on, it was because Gilbert wanted to do something and either broke his leg or his arm. Or both. The craziest incident he heard of was when Gilbert confessed one of the soldiers to run around blindfolded and ended up smacking headfirst into the ground…and breaking his leg.

As Roderich led the way, he realized that they were surrounding the king's throne. He could barely see the king himself sitting on the throne, holding his face in his hands and it looked like he was sobbing in his fingertips. The crowd was sobbing just as quietly, and it was making Feliciano unsteady.

"I can't even believe that it's happened…"

"Why did it have to be in my lifetime? I just wanted to see him more…"

"How? Why? He was so young, filled with promise."

Roderich found himself fearing the worse. As he headed forward, he finally found what he was looking for: a body lying down on a bed of roses, looking calm and peaceful. The identity was quickly revealed, and Roderich's face instantly froze. From his side, he could hear Feliciano dig through the crowd, coming face to face with the body. The king and Gilbert cringed when they saw him, watching as his face instantly recognized him.

"_Lud…Ludwig…?"_

Feliciano's eyes started watering as he staggered toward the wake, scanning the body for any sign of life that he could see. He finally reached the side of the flower garden, and leaned forward until they were only a few inches apart from each other. His sobs echoed through the hall.

"_Y-you're not really dead…you're not…Ludwig. You're just sleeping, aren't you?"_ He laughed. _"Yeah, you're just sleeping. The fight was too much for you and you passed out. That's it. But you're making everyone worry, Ludwig. You're making your father cry over there…"_

Roderich found himself being utterly sick by the pure innocence and denial he was witnessing.

"_Please wake up, Ludwig. You still have so many things to do. You're going to support your brother once he ascends the throne. You said that you were going to stay with me…wake up…wake up, please…!"_

That was it. Feliciano was going to break if he didn't do anything. Roderich quickly stormed forward and grabbed the young man by his shoulders, dragging him back from the body of the prince. A split second after he made this decision, the poor boy started screaming and began to desperately reach back to the body moving away from him.

"Come on, Feliciano!"

"_**No I won't!"**_

"You're too emotional right now! You need to calm down and focus!"

"_**Lud-sama, wake up! Wake up right now, you hear me? You said that you would protect me for the rest of our lives, you searched for me for six years! Don't just leave me now! You didn't even give me a chance to say good bye to you! Let me go, let me go!"**_

The crowd watched as Roderich finally succeeded at dragging the hysterical figure out of the room, leaving everyone to grieve once more.

**/=+=/**

_I can't…I can't believe it…_

Feliciano needed at least the entire day before he was able to calm down from his hysteria. As he wandered aimlessly around the castle, he could see all of the people in funeral attire, awaiting the moment in which a priest could be found. The young boy found himself staring and swimming in an entire castle of darkness.

_Ludwig…Ludwig is dead…he's gone…_

It felt like an eternity before he finally stumbled back to his room, collapsing onto the bed and clinging to the sheets, sobbing uncontrollably and breaking out into screams when the pain became too much for him to bear.

_The last thing I talked to him about was when he wanted me to eat breakfast…so benign and ordinary…_

His energy was fully drained from him; he could not cry any longer. Slowly, he flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling that was before him. It was box-shaped and an odd tint of blue _(the moon, maybe?)_, and felt too much like the good old days…when he was alive.

_If I knew it was the last time I would talk to him, I would've said something to him…like…I'm glad to be his best friend…like I never regretted the time I had with him…_ He pulled the bed sheets to his chest. _Maybe…maybe I could've told him that I loved him with all my heart…and that I don't want to say good bye to him…_

"_**Your existence will prove his downfall."**_

_That angel…that angel was right, wasn't he? I stayed with Ludwig and now…_ He sobbed. _He's…he's dead…!_

"I…I don't want to live in a world without Ludwig…it hurts too much…" Does love really hurt when it is broken like this? "I just…I just want to go to sleep…and never wake up…" _Maybe I can at least see Ludwig in my dreams…where the both of us belong…_

More tears poured down his face as he flipped to his side, looking out the window and seeing the moonlight reflect down into his room. As he closed his eyes, he imagined that somehow Ludwig was watching him from the moon, and maybe he wasn't alone after all…maybe he could dream away the pain…maybe…

Just…

Maybe…

"_**Well then, your wish is my command."**_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_Feliciano…"_


	28. The Endless Tears and Choices

_There was the casket, draped in white, moving past the king as it reached his way to the tomb. Feliciano held the veil over his face as he helped carry it to the tomb of the royal family. He was so happy that the veil was dark enough to cover his eyes, for they were way too swollen from the access of tears._

_The entire place was silent as they carried it through the town. Men dropped their hands. Women bowed their heads. Ladies who wanted to woo him sobbed hysterically in the corner. Even the children were not playing, standing by the sides of their mothers asking what was going on. From the corner of his mind, Feliciano wondered if he could hold Ludwig's hand from inside the coffin._

_Hordes of people followed the six pallbearers as they finally reached the open tomb. The priest was already there, standing among the gravediggers whose faces finally registered the truth of their next customer. Feliciano didn't turn his head up, helping the others bring the coffin to the ground, and slowly lowered it down into the hole. The king finally collapsed to the ground in tears._

_One by one, his loyal subjects threw flowers onto his coffin, many yellow and red to match the figure they see when he turns away to battle. Feliciano looked down at his hands and held the light blue rose that danced in his fingers…gazing deeply…hoping that perhaps he could see his eyes stare back with a smile. He kissed it gently before tossing it on top of the rose pile._

_He had no idea how many hours and minutes have gone by. He saw each and every single toss of dirt onto the casket as white as snow, further separating the prince from the living. He saw the stone masers come in and move the slab with his name on it with the cross on top. He saw the priest give his final prayers before leaving. And then he was the only one left. He looked up, finally seeing the finished grave before him._

"_Lud-sama…"_

_Slowly, he walked forward, kneeling on the stone slab and lying down completely on the grave. Through his tears, he could find himself imagining his prince lying down with him, sleeping peacefully as if he had snuck into his bedroom with a bad nightmare in his mind. He imagined his soft skin, his delicate face…his warmth…_

"_I'm not…leaving you anymore…" He whispered. "We've been separated for too long…"_

_He cuddled into himself and sobbed quietly, wondering how long he was going to last. He was not going to leave Ludwig anymore. Those six years away from him was a painful experience in itself. He was going to stay with him through thick and thin…even if it included a slow, painful death…_

_Feliciano slowly closed his eyes, and prayed for a peaceful death._

…

…

…

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…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Oi. Wake up. You've been sleeping for a whole day. You don't need to oversleep, yes?"

His eyes flickered open, revealing a cover of darkness over his body. All he could register were the flickering lights of candles and a figure standing before him, and that he was sitting down on a cold, wet stone floor. Feliciano turned his head up, eyes widening at the man that stood before him.

"_You…"_

"You've been sleeping for so long. Were you having good dreams?"

Feliciano turned away, shivering with fear at the touch of this man. His hands went lower and lower until he swatted away and crawled to the corner of the room. The man stood up in intrigue, smiling at the strange amount of confidence that had finally surged from him.

"Good dreams, indeed. But yet, dreams are always tainted by the realization of reality." The man walked closer to him. _**"Has it come for you, yet?"**_

**/=+=/**

They always left him with incredible amounts of pain. As the man blew him a kiss, he left Feliciano shaking uncontrollably in the darkness. The young boy tried desperately to stand up, wobbling for a few seconds before collapsing onto the ground, unable to walk. His hips felt way too sore to move.

_It hurts…_

Feliciano found himself crawling toward the wall, using it to lift himself up to a sitting position. It felt too much like a dream in itself. There was no way that all of this could be real. He was saved. He had been bought out of this slavery. Did they really bring him back to this hell hole? Did he really deserve all of this?

_I want to go back…I want to go back to my dreams and be with Ludwig again-_

Except that he was dead.

His eyes widened as he realized what was going on. He could suffer through all of this hell knowing for sure that somewhere in this world, Ludwig was still alive and breathing, away from the man who cursed him with his presence. Or he could go back to that dream world where he would have everything at his fingertips: food, clothing, warmth, happiness, friends, and yet know for a fact that the one that he loved was dead…that he personally watched the entire burial on the off chance that it was happening…

Which world would he want to live in?

"…I…"

He thought of the cold, lonely nights he would spend in this hole for the rest of his rotting existence.

"…I…"

He thought of the cold, lonely nights he would spend dreaming for a man that no longer existed.

"…will…"

He thought of the cold, heartless expression of the angel that had told him the entire truth…about how sinful and dangerous he really was.

…_Ludwig…_

He thought of nothing but him.

"…I will stay."

And hence the rest of his life began.


	29. Day One

**Hello, everyone! Mitsuki Horenake here, with a special guest co-host at my side! Oh, why aren't you going to say anything? Oh, everyone loves you, don't worry! It's just the scri- and England is depressed. Oh well. OK, a lot of people are having trouble trying to figure out what's going on right now…with the halves and dreams and whatnot. Kiddies, that's a plot point. That's all you need to know. Or maybe I shouldn't have answered that…**

**By the way, the "man" that Feliciano's scared of? I personally have no identity for him, but feel free to put whoever you want in there. Seriously, I don't care. Call him whatever.**

**/=+=/**

"_Ludwig? Where are you?"_

_Feliciano found himself wandering around a beautiful rose garden, raining small petals and had a warm breeze through his hair. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that there was a daisy garden at his feet. He knelt down and smiled at two of them, whose stems have spun together in harmony. Ludwig must have had a lot of time to go here daily and make sure they spun like this…_

_***rustle***_

"_Ve?" He stood up. "Who's there?"_

_He blinked and saw a figure standing at the entrance of the rose maze. The sunlight blocked his face from him, but before he could even begin to ask for an identity, he turned and ran into the maze. Feliciano darted after him, his hand reaching out and trying desperately to grab onto whoever it was. But this man was moving way too fast for his own good._

_After a few minutes of running around and pushing all of the flowers out of the way, he was finally able to see the cape that was on the guy. How was he running so fast, toward his goal, while Feliciano was just a few feet away, barely able to reach him? From the corner of his ears, he could hear someone laughing at his predicament._

"_Wait! I can't reach you!"_

_Feliciano flailed as hard as he could, unable to see or reach anything, until he could finally see the middle of the maze. The figure was nowhere to be seen, instead there was a statue of Ludwig surrounded by daisies and roses. Feliciano stopped for a minute, approaching the statue and touching the leg that was in front of him. It was a memorial, he was sure of it._

"_Feli…?"_

_He froze. There was no way that voice could be…no, there's no way…he turned his head in confusion to see if perhaps it was something else…someone that maybe was a reincarnation of him. Yeah, that's right. Reincarnation. That explains why the figure before him sounded and looked way too much like his beloved. Why his heart is leaping way higher than it's supposed to be. Why Feliciano is starting to whimper pathetically before him._

"_L-Lu…Ludwig…?"_

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Back at the dark prison cell again, he noticed.

Feliciano's eyes flickered open as he stared at the stone walls that were before him. There were scratches in it, almost as if the last person that was here tried his best to claw his way out into freedom. He shook his head and stood, the pain no longer in his hips, as he went and tried to count them all. It seemed to take up the entire area; he could not find a good place to start counting them.

"You won't be able to get a full number."

He turned his head around and saw another man in the cell across from him. He had a bigger window, allowing the moonlight to reflect the shadow of a rather burly individual. He was extremely muscular _(big-boned, maybe?)_ and from the looks of it, seemed a lot older than he was. Yet his voice was high-pitched and friendly, and his eyes were the most adorable purple he has ever seen.

"Did you know the man that was here?"

"He was an innocent fellow. Short, blond hair and shiny blue eyes. He worked out a lot in that room and thought it was a prison cell. Too happy, in my opinion."

"W-what was his name?"

"I think it was Aaron…or Archer…oh yes, Alfred! Yes, that was his name. He would always want to talk to everyone in this weird and happy tone…it helped us a little bit, due to our situation."

"…where is he?"

"…I'm not sure. The man took him away and…we never saw him again."

Feliciano found himself turning pale, going back to the wall and holding his face in a panic. What happened to this Alfred person? Was he dead? Perhaps he had been sold to someone? Was it like him, being sold to someone that was nice and kind to him? Could he be happy, unlike whoever they were in now?

_Elizabeta…Natalya…_

He couldn't help but wonder what happened to those two girls. Elizabeta had most of her work cut out for her when Feliciano was there, so he couldn't help but worry if she was handling herself with all of the chores that Francine forced her to go through. And Natalya…he could remember her screams from that exorcism he could barely hear…was she still alive? Was she still drinking that horrible stuff?

And how is Ludwig doing?

Feliciano couldn't help but frown at the fact that Ludwig was most likely trying to find him at this moment. He was searching for him for so long, and just so that he would vanish yet again…Feliciano found himself hoping that Ludwig would forget about him and move on with his life, or at the very least give up his search and declare him dead. Francine can do that, right?

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, hoping that perhaps Ludwig will grace his dreams with his presence once more.


	30. Day Twenty Five

"_Mama! Papa! Where are you?"_

_There was nothing but screaming and running around him. Everything was black, and it was hard for him to breathe. He heard nothing but sobs and galloping horses, and all he wanted to do was to run home and hide in the protective hands of his mother. Fortunately, she was standing at the doorway, ignoring her husband's calls to get inside and waving frantically for him to come in._

_He jumped quickly into her arms as his father shut the door, and the two of them headed toward the back of the house as the father pulled out his weapon to fight back. His mother held onto her child as tight as she could, hoping that "he" would not take him away. He had more than enough children in his army; he didn't have to take hers._

"_Go to the back of the house! Lock it behind you!"_

"_What about you?"_

"_I'll get you after!"_

_She quickly held her child tight and headed toward the back of the house, locking the door behind her. The poor boy was wondering what was going on, staring at his mother in fear as she gestured him to be quiet. Her eyes lit up in realization, and quickly headed to one of her chests to bring up a small dress. She quickly dressed him up in that outfit (despite him resisting as hard as he could) and held onto him as tight as she could, sobbing the entire time._

"_Mommy…will daddy be OK?"_

"_Daddy will be all right, sweetie…don't worry about him." She held him tightly. "We're going to get out of here."_

"…_I'm scared…"_

_His mother held onto him, whispering a soft lullaby to him and hearing her child whimper quietly into her shirt. Suddenly, there was a rumble around them, and they both froze as the sound of horses got closer toward them. The ground began to shake and a few pots began to fall out of their shelves. Suddenly, his mother held him close to her bosom as the world suddenly became black._

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_He woke up to a heavy weight on top of him, surrounded by boulders and pieces of wood. His mother hung onto him, her grip loose, unmoving and not allowing him to move. In fact, this entire mass he was under was not allowing him to move at all. No matter how many times he would squirm and wriggle, he could not move._

"_Mama…get off me…I can't move." He shook her. "M-Mama…? I can't move…please get off me…why aren't you moving? Mama?"_

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Feliciano's eyes darted open. He sat up and held his face in his hands, crying softly, hearing the whispers of his mother's lullaby from the confines of his mind. She had died to protect him from that army, and his father died to protect the village. There were way too many people dying to protect him. Was he really this useless…and sinful…for people to sacrifice themselves for his sake?

He had no idea how long he was crying, for soon there were sounds of shaking bells and laughing guards a few feet away from the prisoners' cells. After a few minutes, the group came out from the shadows, laughing at the people around them and telling their new visitor _(surrounded by bells, apparently)_ to send another curse on them.

"Ah…you do have mercy for us, after all." The prisoner from across his smiled. "You wish for us to have a quick death~"

"Aren't we that ingenious?" One of the prison guards laughed. "Look at all 'em, askin' for death…"

Feliciano stared at the strange person in the creepier outfit, and realized that he had seen that outfit before: it was the same one that his mother and father wore during their funeral. It was a black mage, cursing all of them in a language that he could not identify, to die. He found himself not complaining about it, wondering if him dying was the perfect thing that could happen to him at that moment.

It was then that the mage started staring at Feliciano in curious wonder. The young boy panicked a bit as he stepped forward, caressing his cheek and forearm as if he had never seen them before, and for some reason, Feliciano found himself unable to get away from him. He was trapped in the man's touch, almost as if he was cursing him specifically.

"Hey, back up there. You're not allowed to touch him. He's our property."

The mage backed up, and Feliciano dropped to his knees. He said nothing as he continued on his merry little dance, the guards continuing to head forward and escort the man's merry dance. Feliciano scurried to the back of the cell, shivering by how scary the strange mage was, and curled up to sob quietly about his past.

There was a click in the door, and the "man" came forward to do his daily deeds.


	31. Day ?

**Bloody hell, Mitsuki knows how to run fast…um…well, hello there, I suppose. I'm…I'm England. Yes, the uh, bad guy in this story, I suppose…and I, uh…well, yes, there is something from Mitsuki that is here and I'll, uh…read this to you out loud right now. *ahem***

"_**Thank you all for reading this up to this very point. I'm not going to end it here, I'm writing this just so that England can be forced to talk. All you need to know is that not all can be believed. Think Inception, only fanfiction format. Though I am also in a time limit, because college is going to start up soon, and I will have a busy schedule then. Hence, the updates will either be small or nonexistent. So basically, I'm going to rush through the rest of the story. Don't worry, it's nearly done. Well then, see you later~"**_

**OK…I'm going to go…somewhere else.**

**/=+=/**

"Ah, you know how to please me well, Feliciano. I'm so glad that you're here with me."

He blew him a kiss and headed out of the cell, leaving the poor boy alone shivering with pain. Poor Feliciano started crying and cuddling close to his chest, still dreaming about Ludwig and hoping that perhaps there is a chance that he could find his poor valet. But no…there was no way that he could be found. He didn't want to be found…or else Ludwig would be dead.

Slowly, Feliciano looked up and stared at the empty cell across from him. That man that was there _(Ivan)_ was gone, however long ago it was, and from the screams and moans from the other room he was safe to assume that he was dead. It was too bad: it was the only person he actually talked to in this hell hole. In fact, he was part of the reason why he even remembered anything past his name.

As he tried his best to stand up, he heard rattling from the cage next to him. Feliciano tilted his head and headed to the bars, seeing one of the prisoners going to his bars and whispering something to the prisoner next to him. From what he could catch, he was going to try and break out. All of the questions aimed at him were met with quick hushes, and soon he could hear bits of stone falling away.

_He's free!_

Feliciano ran to the other side of the wall, trying his best to hear if he was going to actually get out. To the surprise of everyone there, the man declared that he can actually see the sunlight for the first time. That shocked Feliciano, for he thought that they were somewhere deep underground and not as an actual building.

He found himself caressing the wall, thinking about the possibility that he could break out as well. Suddenly, a loud scream and the sound of a moving blade echoed through the cavern, and all of the slaves went silent. Feliciano backed up from the wall, shocked at what he heard. Guards? At a time like this?

"That's what happens when you try to run away."

All the slaves panicked and ran as **he** came out from the shadows, two of his guards by his side. They heard the door to the prison cell open, and a third guard came out of nowhere, holding the head of the escapee. Feliciano found himself getting sick from the smell of the blood.

"I see everything…I control everything…and you are all at my mercy." He turned to the guards. "Burn the body."

Feliciano was quiet as they went outside to burn the body, hearing the rest of the slaves crying and screaming for mercy. From the back of his mind, he could just imagine Ludwig whispering words of encouragement and comfort, telling him that everything was going to be all right, that he was going to be coming and that he was going to be free from all this…

_No. Don't think that. Please._

He closed his eyes as he slid down on the wall, feeling the rocks shove into exposed skin. He already made his choice. There was no way that he could come to look for him. It had been way too long since he had disappeared; he should already be labeled as dead and buried by now. All he found himself wondering was how he was handling the news. Did he cry? Did he mope for a few minutes and move on? Did he even care?

That moment made him shudder.

Eons must have passed by before he heard a few of the guards and the man raddling some money around. That made all of the slaves' eyes widened: that meant that someone had just bought a slave and perhaps out of this messed up world. Feliciano turned his head away and sighed. There was no way someone bought him. He was way too weak from the lack of food here.

The guards started to laugh as they headed toward the lucky slave, and to their amazement, it was right in front of Feliciano's door. He turned his head up to see who had bought him, and his face paled. With the guards was a man completely cloaked and covered in shadows. If anything, he was scarier than _**him.**_

Feliciano started crawling to the corner in fear as the guards suddenly approached him, black back and cuffs in hand. The cloaked man watched in curiosity as they quickly gagged him and handcuffed his hands together, throwing the bag over his head and avoiding all the kicks and flails of the screaming victim.

"He's going to be a tough one to tame." The man winked. "But I think you'll find out your own method."

The cloaked figure looked back at the guards' work, seeing Feliciano flail pathetically for something to hold onto. He didn't want the man to send him a "farewell gift", or "one to remember the old times". He just wanted to get out of here and die quickly. Knowing him, the figure was Death himself and he'd die at just a single touch. Anything else but this.

"You want us to load him or what?"

"I'll handle him myself."

Feliciano had no idea what was going on, but suddenly he felt himself being lifted up into the air and carried over someone's shoulder. He started flailing as hard as he could, hoping that somehow he could get out of here and into freedom, but his energy quickly gave out, and he slumped in defeat on his shoulder.

_Well…I'm free now…I guess it's time for me to die._ He thought. _I'm glad that it doesn't have to be here anymore…_

Suddenly, the figure stopped, confusing Feliciano. Around him, he felt the tense air recede, almost as if it's calming down and leaving him alone to die. The man shifted and let Feliciano down to his feet, and then quickly carried him bridal style, his head leaning on his shoulder. If it hadn't been for the bag and the darkness, he would have seen the blush on his face.

_W-what is going…? Why is he so nice to me?_ Feliciano shook his head. _I can't ask him…but…_

Quietly, he leaned his head onto the man's shoulder and took a deep breath. He didn't know why, but his scent reminded him of home. Back at the castle, or maybe as his childhood playground…running around, being stupid like all children were, with Ludwig making sure that he didn't fall off a cliff or something…

He quickly felt warmth on his skin, and realized that he was at the entrance of the prison. It was way too bright even for him in the black bag, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was what heaven felt like. He did feel warm and safe in this man's arms…Death is a lot nicer than he thought. Feliciano smiled and closed his eyes, relaxing.

_Take me home._

**/=+=/**

**And hence more questions arise…**


	32. The Truth

**So what has happened to Feliciano? Well, the answer will come with time…well, in this case, I mean that we look on the other side of the story. The other side of the suffering and hatred. This is about the real world, with real consequences, and trying to fight the ghosts with mortal aims. What is going on? Stay tuned…**

**/= [The Other Story] =/**

Gilbert hated himself right now. His brother had died in an uprising. His father is suffering from massive guilt. The nobles around the castle are now thinking that Gilbert was behind Ludwig's murder. And poor Feliciano…that poor boy can't _**stop**_ grieving. Even as he passed his room, he could hear the boy quietly sobbing into his pillow and sheets, muttering softly and asking for anything to get him back.

_Gott…so much pain just because of mein bruder's death…_ Gilbert closed his eyes. _Poor Feliciano…why did this happen?_

"Lord Gilbert."

"Eh?" He turned his head around. "Roderich."

"Are you all right, my prince?"

"Of course not. My brother is freaking dead, and everyone thinks that it's my fault." He spat. "Why the hell would I kill him? I already have the throne; I might as well kill uncle instead of him…that's smarter…"

"And Feliciano…?"

"You can hear him from here. He's depressed as ever. I don't think he even came out of there since the news came. He just keeps sobbing in his room, begging like anyone else would do."

"Prince Ludwig was beloved among the people, my lord. I'm surprised that the reaction wasn't any bigger."

"I suppose so…" Gilbert sighed. "I just…I loved bruder as much as everyone else, and I hate it that they're thinking that I'm the one who did this."

"Maybe they think that the king was reconsidering his options, my lord?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense…" He shook his head. "Well…we should check on Feliciano."

"I was about to ask, my lord."

"Good. Let's go."

The two of them quickly headed toward Feliciano's room, still hearing the sobbing and whimpering of the poor boy inside. Roderich turned his head, face asking if he could go alone, and Gilbert nodded in approval. The valet turned inside and slowly knocked on the door, alerting the boy inside that someone was there. They could hear rustling and cleaning up from inside, and then a small voice told him to enter.

Roderich opened the door slightly, seeing that Feliciano had quickly cleaned himself from the sobbing mess that he was a few minutes ago. His hair had been quickly combed down, and the bed sheets have been straightened and removed of any tear stains that might have been too obvious for anyone to have noticed. His eyes were still puffy and red, and as he approached him Feliciano was rubbing his cheeks.

"Are you all cried out, Feli?"

"_I…I think so…"_ He wiped more of his cheeks. _"How long has it been?"_

"Four hours. You haven't eaten anything since the news came in."

"_I haven't been hungry, that's all."_

"Explains all of the sobs everyone's been hearing. You're breaking a lot of hearts in the castle."

"L-Ludwig is dead. That's all the news that you need to break someone's heart."

"I'm pretty sure that the news hit you harder than anyone else in this kingdom, even the king himself." Roderich scooted over. "You know what I'm talking about."

Feliciano nodded slowly, the tears welling back up in his eyes. Here he was, so filled with promise and achievement, ready to take on the world at the side of his older brother, so happy and strong. If anything, he regretted not spending more time with him. He would have perhaps talked to him more, mentioned about his life…remember everything that they had done together.

"_I…"_ He started sobbing. _"I could've told him the truth…how much I loved him…!"_

"Feliciano…it's all right."

"No, it's not…now he'll never know, and I'll never get my answer." He collapsed into Roderich's arms. "I just wanted to know what he thought! I would've preferred him cutting me out of his life instead of never knowing…"

"It's…hard, not knowing anything, isn't it?"

"_Why him, out of all people…? It should have been me. This world wouldn't be affected if I died instead."_

"Your death would have affected the world, Feliciano. Ludwig would be the one grieving, and it could affect him for the rest of his life."

"Yeah, but in a positive way…create a world filled with peace and happiness…like everyone always pledges."

"You're pushing yourself so low, Feliciano. Every life has a purpose, and he has fulfilled his."

"_To make me suffer?"_

"Not just you…" Roderich rubbed his back. "You need to sleep tonight. The grief may be lifted when you wake up."

"I guess so…" Feliciano smiled. "Will you be there when I wake up?"

"I'll try, but I cannot guarantee it. With serving Prince Gilbert, of course."

"Well, I don't mind that…"

"It's all right. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you…"

Roderich helped Feliciano into his bed, tucking him in and seeing the poor boy shed a few more tears. Why did he look so vulnerable in his helpless little stance? It was almost as if this was the sole reason why Ludwig stayed with him till the bitter end. Not that it wouldn't make any sense, mind…

"Keep Ludwig close to your heart, Feliciano. That's all we can do for him."

Feliciano nodded, slowly drifting off to sleep. Roderich tucked him in quietly and left the room, seeing a quiet Gilbert waiting for him on the other side. The two of them looked at each other, thinking about it, and then headed toward where Ludwig's body was. One more prayer section seems to be good enough for their troubling minds.

**/=+=/**

The king stared at the body of his blood-son, the moonlight reflecting on his skin. He was so mad at him, that he threw himself into the battle…the one that killed him. If he had never made Ludwig angry, he would have never died, wouldn't he? If anything, it was just as bad as if he had killed his own son. And the last thing he heard from Ludwig was how much he hated his father…

_I angered the gods and this is what they use as punishment…but why didn't they try to take a part of me, not him…_

"Ludwig…I'm so sorry…I've disappointed you, haven't I?" He knelt down at the head of the wake. "This is how you want to make me suffer? Is that it?"

"…"

"The truth is…I felt compelled to make that decision…like someone suggested it from the back of my head. I don't know who told me this, but all I know was that I made the decision and I couldn't bring myself to change it. Gilbert is a good man, different from my brother…he does deserve to stay in our castle…"

"…"

"I have no idea what to do now…what should I do to make you forgive me? To watch over me in my final years? To know that I regret…failing you…my only son?"

"…_father…?"_

His head darted up as he saw the body's skin regain its color, blue eyes flickering open in the moonlight. His son sat up from the wake, staring at all of the flowers around him and realizing what had occurred. Turning his head, he saw the tears falling down his father's face, surprised that such a miracle had happened.

"_Am I…?"_

"I…I don't think you are…" He held his hands. "They're warm…ah, it's such a miracle!"

"I don't…remember much about what happened, but…" Ludwig turned to the king. "You're crying…"

"I…I thought I lost you…you came back dead for hours…oh, can you forgive me, my son?"

"I was never mad at you, father."

The two of them tightly embraced, their sobs of happiness echoing across the entire throne hall. At the doorway, Roderich and Gilbert entered and saw the miracle, charging forward in shock and awe, and embracing as hard as their human bodies could allow. It was the first time they had ever seen the king cry openly.

"So you're not dead! What a miracle!" Gilbert grinned. "Hah! I-I totally knew that!"

"Sorry for worrying you, bruder…vatti…"

"It's all right, my son. Hah! What a miracle indeed! Yes, we should tell Feliciano about-"

"Feli?"

Ludwig's eyes widened as he jumped off of the bed of flowers and headed toward Feliciano's room, worry all over his face. The others were trying their best to follow suit, not even close to matching his speed. Finally, he reached his destination: Feliciano's room. He charged forward and saw him sleeping peacefully in his bed, his cheeks finally dry from the tears. Roderich was the first to get there, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Feliciano couldn't stop crying ever since you came back." He answered. "From the looks of it, he finally drifted off to sleep."

"…that man."

"Hm?"

"The one who attacked me…he said he was after Feliciano."

"What? Why? He doesn't have any social status or ranking on him…"

"I don't know either…he said that I was the final link or something like that…" Ludwig leaned on Feliciano's arm. "I can't leave him alone…he might come after him."

"That's fine. You can stay here until he wakes up." Roderich smiled. "Knowing Feliciano, he'll really appreciate that."

"Yeah…he would."

Roderich smiled, watching Ludwig sit next to the sleeping boy and recalling what Feliciano had told him a few hours earlier. Gilbert finally caught up to him, and Roderich explained the situation to him and a rather tired king. They finally decided that Ludwig was going to spend the night in Feliciano's room and that they were going to watch what happens when he gets the good news.

Two weeks had gone by since then, and Feliciano still had not awoke from his slumber.


	33. Either One or the Other

The progression of time was getting rather worrying for the two men. Feliciano had not woken up since the scare, and Ludwig was seeing him slowly wasting away, unable to eat or drink anything. For some reason, he seems to be starving faster than the usual starving orphans that Ludwig would find. It was almost as if he was poisoned, but Ludwig checked. He was definitely not poisoned.

No one knew why he would not wake up from his slumber. No matter how many whispers or shakings or changes in temperature were inflicted, Feliciano wasn't even moving. Ludwig found himself getting hurt more and more as he watched his skin grow paler and closer to death. Sometimes, he would see small hints of tears in his eyes.

People would go check on Ludwig every now and then to see if he passed out from starvation himself, and to ask if he was going to be all right. Each response would be met with a quick cough and a statement saying that he was not going to be leaving Feliciano any time soon. This friendship was spread among the land as one of unbreakable loyalty, and soon many peasants would pray for him in their small churches, if only to justify saving their prince from the brink of death.

Gilbert was the most recent one to check on his brother. He asked that he would come alone, so as not to be disturbed by Roderich, and headed to Feliciano's room as usual. As he entered the room, he saw his brother staring at the young boy, willing him into the real world. From the angle of the moonlight, it almost looked as if Feliciano was a statue of his former self.

"I'm guessing nothing happened yet."

"Not a single bit of movement." Ludwig sighed. "Sometimes, I don't even know if he's breathing."

"He's not breathing?"

"It's small, like normal sleeping." He touched his hair. "But it makes him even more vulnerable than he already is."

"Maybe we can, like, force food down his mouth?"

"He may choke, bruder! That's not a good idea!"

"Fine, fine…"

Gilbert stared at him in confusion as Ludwig continued to watch over him, caressing his hair out of his eyes on the off chance that he could, in fact, open them. His brother sighed; he had never seen him this broken since he had lost Feliciano before…so long ago…

"You need something to eat, Ludwig."

"But I'm not leaving Feliciano alone…"

"I'll stay with him until you come back. How about that?"

"…fine."

The young man finally gave into his brother's demand and took his hand, pulling him out of the room. As Ludwig headed toward the dining room, Gilbert noticed that he was slowing down immensely. He shook his shoulder, causing the blond to turn to him with a disturbed look on his face.

"What's wrong this time? Seriously, I'm not that bad when it comes to guarding people."

"No…it's not that." He fully turned to him. "That man, the one that stabbed me…he said that he was after Feliciano."

"Feliciano? Why him? He has no status in our kingdom."

"He wouldn't tell me what, only saying that he was more sinful than the exiled king that is trying to takes our throne."

"Like an assassin or something? That's horrible! What does he look like?"

"I didn't catch much…only that he had straw blond hair and…these really strange eye brows on his forehead…"

Gilbert froze.

"His voice sounded young, like he was a few years younger than him. I have no idea how he would know Feliciano, but then again I don't even know anything about him ever since he came back…"

"…I see…and do you think that he may attack him again?"

"That's what I'm worried about."

"All right…I'm going to wait with him. You go ahead and eat."

"All right."

Ludwig turned and left his brother to go eat his dinner, leaving Gilbert standing there with shock plastered all over his face. He quickly turned and headed into Feliciano's room, freezing at the image of another man in the room, quietly caressing Feliciano's cheek and whispering something he couldn't catch. He stopped just as Gilbert got into the room.

"I knew it was you…"

"_**Gilbert? Is that you?"**_ The man laughed as he turned around. _**"Goodness, you look older than the last time we've met."**_

"Arthur…"

"_**So how is your life? Are you enjoying your time as the heir to the throne? I hope you are, for I don't do take backs. It's just code."**_

"You're going after Feliciano, aren't you?"

"_**He's a threat on your wish, my prince. Feliciano could woo entire people with his charms, and hence he could turn the entire castle against you."**_

"Is that why you attacked my brother?"

"_**It was the only way for him to put him where I wanted him to be, and I'm sorry for any pain that I have given you during that time."**_

"They thought I did that, that I was the one who ordered a hit on him!"

"_**Well, that can't be good, can it? I'll dispel them by tomorrow, do not worry. For that's what I'm here for: to support the good and the pure of the world."**_

"Then why are you after Feliciano?"

"_**That's the problem…he's sinned more than anyone on this planet could ever hope to achieve."**_

"What are you talking about?"

"_**He lusts for your brother, Gilbert."**_

"Lu-?"

"_**I've seen people like him. They're vile and despicable, using them for nothing but their own pleasures and going against the image that God has made them for. They crave their bodies, ignoring the women that are destined to bear their children. Despicable."**_

"Wait, lusting after my brother? What are you…are you lying to me right now?"

"_**I never lie, Gilbert. It's against my nature."**_

"But I know Feliciano. He would never do something like that."

"_**Six years does a lot to a man. You obviously haven't seen the darker parts of his mind."**_ Arthur sat down next to him, petting Feliciano's face. _**"I merely stopped him before he would corrupt your brother."**_

"By making him suffer? Have you seen my brother? He will not give up on him."

"_**That just means that he needs a few years of grief before becoming a great man of society. That's just the factor of life."**_ He pouted. _**"You let live and lose some. You both need to know that."**_

"…by making Feliciano starve to death?"

"_**Faggots like him suck out the life of their lust objects when they get what they want. Why not do the same thing?"**_

"I oppose this, Arthur. I will stop you and save Feliciano."

"_**No, you won't."**_

"And what makes you say that? All I have to do is strike you now and have angel blood on my blade…" Gilbert grinned. "Then they'll know that you're the spirit that had been haunting him…the one that almost killed him."

"_**You forget that I can completely erase my existence in whoever saw me. Though I do admit that I thought that I did it to Ludwig…oh well."**_

"So? I can remember you quite well, even when you granted my wish. Why is that?"

"_**Because I thought you would be a little more respectful than what I saw all those years ago. Apparently I was wrong."**_ Arthur made a sly grin. _**"But don't worry…you still won't do anything to me."**_

"Because you have the magic powers?"

"_**Because I still have the powers over your wish."**_

"…!"

"_Whoever is out there, please, please get me away from my horrible father. I promise that I will be able to regain the honor of my family, instead of disgracing it like he has. Make me the new king of the land.__** Wasn't that what you wished for, by word?"**_ He leaned back. _**"It's simple: get in my way, and the wish gets null and void. Where will you go after being stripped of your title, I wonder? Maybe you'll be publically executed by the king himself for treason? Or perhaps you'll go into exile with your father…and let the mob kill you…"**_

"…"

"_**Not a lot of good options, don't you think? After living in luxury for so long, you're going to throw it away for some sinful boy that will waste your life away?"**_ The angel stood up. _**"So now you have to choose, my dear prince. Your family pride and royal blood…or the life of a worthless peasant. We'll call it a test for the future king of the land, yes?"**_

With that, Arthur quickly vanished into the either, leaving Gilbert frozen in his place.

**/=+=/**

***quietly rolls up England tied up to a wooden post, gagged and unable to move***

***leaves a box of knives and flamethrowers***

***goes to hide, hearing England's muffled screams***


	34. Our Choices Affect Other Lives

**All right girls! Another chapter for the masses, am I right? Right! Now let's see how England is-**

***massacred body straight out of Higurashi***

**Oh…dear.**

**/=+=/**

Two days had passed since Gilbert's confrontation, and Feliciano had shown no development in his health. He kept getting paler and paler, and Ludwig got more depressed by the hour. Gilbert could only watch helplessly as Ludwig observed his best friend slowly starving with no way to help him. Arthur's words continued to haunt his mind as he walked away, going to take a walk in the park.

_My life, or his…is that the choice that he gave me?_

He plopped on the bench in front of the rose garden, confused on what to do. Would he really decide on killing Feliciano to save his place in society? Would he really be that heartless on him? Would Feliciano forgive him if he didn't say anything and watched him starve? Would Ludwig forgive him if he knew that Gilbert had the key to stopping all of this?

Of course not.

But Ludwig would hate himself forever if Gilbert died suddenly.

"My lord?"

Gilbert turned his head to see Roderich standing there, a concerned look on his face. He turned back down onto the ground, signaling that he needed help. Roderich quietly sat down next to him, waiting for his master to say a word of help or at least anything to state otherwise. Gilbert, like the family, hated to admit that he needed help.

"I haven't seen Ludwig and Feliciano together a lot."

"I've noticed. You're usually checking on the contact back at the city."

"Just to make sure what was after Ludwig's valet." He turned to Roderich. "Hey, question."

"Yes?"

"Did Feliciano ever talk to you about Ludwig?"

"Plenty of times. He enjoyed the company he had with him and would talk about all the things he would do with him."

"Very close, I see."

"Of course."

"…are you hiding something from me?"

"My lord?"

"You get quiet like that when you are. What did he really tell you?" Gilbert looked at him. "Tell me. This may be part of the process to save him."

"All right…goodness, I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone else this. He seemed pretty nervous about saying it out loud…"

"What is it?"

Roderich rubbed his forehead, imagining a shocked Feliciano shaking him and begging him not to say it, scared about what his brother's reaction could be. The man merely shook his head to scare off the image, knowing that it wouldn't really matter now that Feliciano was knocking on Death's door. That claim alone seemed to make him understand, and Feliciano backed up and sighed.

"Roderich?"

"Um…he's in…_**love**_…with your brother."

"Wait…Feliciano and…mein bruder?"

"Yes, both of them. Feliciano loves your brother dearly…like a husband and wife kind of love."

"That's possible?"

"Feliciano doesn't understand it either, but he said that he can't stop thinking about Ludwig ever since they reunited and his face turned this shade of pink that I only see of young women around you, my lord." Roderich turned to him. "If this is not love, then he is deeply infatuated by him."

"_Roderich…"_

"It would explain why he cried like a widow when Ludwig was unconscious. He looked like someone just ripped his heart out of his chest and destroyed it right in front of him."

"Feliciano…"

So that was what Arthur was talking about…lusting after Ludwig. Love did indeed contain the aspect of lust, after all _(where else would the drive to procreate come from?)_. Was this what Arthur was really talking about? He didn't like the fact that Feliciano was in love with his brother? Was this what all of this was all about…?

Gilbert found himself growing pale _(which was hidden because, surprise, he was already pretty pale)_ by the announcement. That meant that there were over a billion more reasons to save this boy. A million more reasons why Ludwig should stay with Feliciano and protect him until their final days on this planet. And a thousand reasons why Gilbert's ascent to the throne is just not meant to be.

He took a deep breath. Could he go through with this? Judging by the fact that he wasn't being moved to consider otherwise, Arthur knows for a fact that Gilbert was going to choose his own hide over Feliciano's. Every single nerve in his body was screaming for him not to say anything. But this was for his brother. This was for Feliciano.

"Roderich…I have a plan."

"Hm?"

"Find a mage or a psychic. Anything or anyone that can use magic. I don't care who." Gilbert turned to him. "When you find them, bring them to Feliciano's room. Try to be as quiet and subtle as possible."

"What are you planning, my lord?"

"…I'm planning on a counter-spell."

**/=+=/**

Gilbert waited quietly outside Feliciano's room, listening to Ludwig sing a quiet lullaby in Feliciano's ear, tapping his foot impatiently. Roderich was not one to keep him waiting. Maybe there was no magician around to help him in the area. Or perhaps Arthur had already gotten to them and realized what Gilbert had decided…

"So this is the one I'm talking to, aru?"

"Yes, of course. Lord Gilbert, this is the magician I have found. This is the sage Wang Yao of the distant lands."

"Pleasure to meet you, aru." He bowed with that strange accent.

"Pleasure to meet you as well. I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"That's why I'm here."

"All right…" He turned his head. "You see that boy over there? On the bed?"

"Oh goodness, goodness." Yao shook his head. "I sense strong magic with this one."

"Eh?" Ludwig turned around. "Who the heck is he?"

"He's going to help, Ludwig. That's the theory, anyway."

"Let's see this…" Yao went to the boy. "Yes, this is definitely a spell."

"Feliciano was cursed?" Ludwig was confused. "What…?"

"It's in deep…and the dark aura that surrounds him…did someone die recently?"

"Close to." Roderich answered. "Someone was in a coma recently, and Feliciano fell asleep thinking he was dead."

"Hm, well, it looks like this boy's dream is rooted in sadness and grief, aru…" Yao lifted up a paper.

"What are you doing?" Gilbert tilted his head.

"I must see how deep the spell goes…"

Gilbert and Roderich stared at each other as Yao placed the paper on Feliciano's forehead and started muttering something to himself the entire time. All everyone knew was that the air was extremely tense and so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Every now and then, Yao's eyelids would twitch in confusion, and his fingers would move around as if he was holding onto someone.

"_Oh, goodness…"_

"What's going on?" Roderich blinked.

"_I'm in a prison ward."_

"Prison?" Ludwig stood up. "What?"

"_These prisoners are starved…the guards are using them. I don't think there's any light in here…"_ Yao froze. _"It's that boy."_

"In the prison cells?" Ludwig tensed. "How is he? Is he all right?"

"_He's been crying for a long time…doesn't like it when I touch him…he's scared of me…"_

Suddenly, Yao was sent backward, right into Roderich's arms. The piece of paper on Feliciano's forehead immediately burned up, leaving the ashes all over his face. Ludwig ran forward to make sure that the flames would not burn his face. Unfortunately, Feliciano slept through the flames without so much as flinching.

"Yao!" Roderich stood him up. "What was that?"

"The spell is strong, aru. I don't think I can break it myself." Yao answered, sighing. "It is deeply rooted into his sadness…and the spell seems to make sure that he is constantly miserable."

"Failsafes…" Gilbert shook his head.

"All we have to do is to make him remember his happiness enough for me to break the spell…" Yao stated. "But right now, they found me. Whoever sent the spell kicked me out."

"Like monitoring?"

"Yes, so I can't get in there…and by what they did to my spell chant, we won't be able to go in today."

"I'll do it."

"Ludwig?"

"I'll go in there. I'll save him."

"…such determination. I suppose that the grief is about you then, aru?"

"Eh? W-well, I was in a coma…"

"Oh, it was you then? Well, this will make my job a little easier." He turned to Roderich. "Is there a guest room I can stay in tonight?"

"Show him there, Roderich."

**/=+=/**

**Arthur wasn't watching over them. You know why? You bastards killed England…or at the very least left him unable to move and speak. Hold on, this is going to take a while.**


	35. Heavenly Dreams, Dire Consequences

"Now, the spell is ingrained deep into Feliciano's mind, so it will be hard to do it straight out." Yao stated. "What I would try to do is to go around it…be infected by the spell."

"I have to go into a coma too?"

"Not necessarily. It seems as if I was kicked out of the nightmare because something determined that I wasn't supposed to belong." The magician looked down at the paper he's trying to enchant. "I'm trying a new spell to get you inside, aru-"

"Wait, you're not coming with me?"

"If I do, it would automatically kick us out. It already knows I don't belong; it doesn't know if you don't either." He lifted up a paintbrush. "In order for this to work, we will have to write your name in the middle. That way, I can write the proper enchantments around it."

"All right…um, do I have to write in your language or something?"

"No, it's fine. I can write fluently in your language, so I can adjust the spells to your aura, aru."

Ludwig just stared at him in confusion as he looked down to write his name on the piece of paper. He figured that the smaller and clearer the name, the more spells Yao could write to protect him from whoever was in charge of the spell. It made sense. Yet when he tried to write on the paper, the paintbrush didn't seem to write at all.

"Did you put ink on this?"

"You write with your mind, Ludwig."

_Eh?_

Ludwig stared at him in confusion before looking back at the piece of paper. He mentally convinced himself that he was writing his name on the paper, and almost immediately his name appeared in the middle. Ludwig's eyebrows arched in shock. How in the world did that happen? Yao merely smiled.

"Now I have enough to work with." He took the paper from him. "Get some rest and get a good breakfast. You need all the energy you can get."

"All right…and Yao, is it?"

"Aru?"

"…thank you."

**/=+=/**

He was immediately there the moment his breakfast was done. Gilbert was extremely shocked how fast his little brother could eat. Heck, he was always the one who would tell him to slow down and take his time when it came to food. But he figured that since his valet was nearly clinging to life at this point, eating was the least of his concerns. He and his valet followed Ludwig until he was in Feliciano's room, standing behind Yao.

"Is it ready yet?"

"Almost." Yao turned to Ludwig. "Hold onto this, and touch foreheads with him. You yourself are the only one who can start or stop this. All with mental communication."

"And if I'm in danger?"

"You'll have to determine that yourself."

"All right…"

"Be careful, bruder."

"I will."

Ludwig turned back to the body before him, watching the peaceful boy sleep soundly in his bed. He was getting dangerously thin and pale, and he feared that he was going to die in a few hours. He quietly caressed his cheek, feeling the warmth slowly fade away from his fingertips. He took a deep breath and touched foreheads with him.

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"_Well, haven't seen your kind around here."_

_Ludwig opened his eyes to realize that his face was covered by a hood, even more with the shadows casted by a single lamp. He looked around and realized that he was surrounded by guys that looked like evil crooks, surrounding one man that seemed to be the leader of the operation. He stood up and walked toward him._

"_What brings you here, stranger?"_

_He had no idea what to say. All he knew was that Yao mentioned that this was a prison cell, and that everyone here was treated like crap. Suddenly, he felt inside his robe and realized that there was a bag of money in his sleeve, something that seemed to catch the men's interest, especially the leader. He seemed the most interested._

"_You're here to buy a slave?"_

"_Yes." He pulled it out. "N32."_

_He had no idea what he mentioned, but he knew from the back of his mind that perhaps this was something that would lead him to Feliciano. The leader looked a bit suspicious for a minute before taking his money and motioning for him to lead the way. The rest of the guards started laughing and telling themselves how rich they were. Ludwig had no idea what to think, personally._

"_Are you sure you want that one? He's a hard one to control, that boy."_

"_He's a cute one, though! Kinda tight, though…"_

_Ludwig felt that he wanted to seriously rage and punch all of them, but he knew that if he did that, he would be kicked out and would never see Feliciano again. In those thoughts, he automatically saw the leader wave a strange letter in his face. It had his name on it, in Feliciano's handwriting._

"_The previous client sent this with him. Figured that you might as well read it, since he's yours and all. It'll give you a bit of a laugh."_

"_I see…"_

"_You can try reading it by lamp, but you might trip and fall."_

_The poor man had no idea what to think at this point, but he had never seen this letter before. He opened up the envelope and realized that the letter was on a small napkin, hastily written and rough on a few sections, like it had been wet and quickly dried before delivery. What was this about…?_

**[~]**

Dear Ludwig,

I had just gotten your letter and felt that I should write you back with great haste. You're going out there to protect the kingdom, aren't you? I'm glad that you're out there, doing your duty and making the people proud. I want to say that, but part of me doesn't wish to. Part of me wants you to stay back in the castle and be safe, so that I could see you again.

But I don't want to say that. The kingdom is something that is near and dear to you, the same way you are dear to me.

So all I ask is that you forget about me. Push me to the back of your mind as you go forward and protect your father's kingdom. That way, you can focus on coming back alive. That way, you can do your job well and make your family proud. Just come home alive, and don't be distracted by me and our memories…please? I don't want to be the cause of your death.

Come back soon,

Feliciano

**[~]**

"_A real hoot, isn't it? Must be a pen pal or something, cause this poor sucker doesn't even realize that this dude got balls!"_

_Ludwig found himself blushing immensely from this letter (again, shielded by the hood and the shadows). This letter was dated just after the lamp festival. Why did he never get this? Did it have to do something with the spirit that attacked Feliciano? He wanted to hide this from him? If he ever find this spirit, he swore to god…_

_He finally found himself in front of the cage, seeing Feliciano whimpering in the corner of the cage. Ludwig could barely believe what he saw: he looked worse than what he looked like in real life, paler and skinner than before. And the fact that they just went in there and tied him up until he was nothing more than a body pissed him off even more. But he was going to have him soon…_

"_You want us to load him or what?"_

_Treating him like __**trash…**_

"_I'll handle him myself."_

_Ludwig just needed to have him…that's all he needed to do. He walked forward and picked up the scared young boy, feeling him screaming and thrashing in his arms, and headed out of the prison. The leader said something to him, but for some reason he couldn't hear anything. It was as if the dream was finally ending._

_He looked down and realized that Feliciano had stopped trying to resist, giving in to whatever was going to make him cry. His shoulder was starting to cramp, so he quickly arranged him until he was holding them in both of his arms. The boy whimpered in shock, but said nothing more, instead cuddling close to him. Ludwig could only smile._

_**I have you now…it's time to leave.**_

_He felt the air tense around him, and he knew that the dream was starting to realize what was going on. Ludwig looked forward and saw a warm light erupt before them, like it was the sun reaching forward. He smiled and walked straight for it, feeling Feliciano hold loosely on the robes_.

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"My prince, you're awake!"

Ludwig's eyes flickered open and he found himself moving up, being helped by his brother. Yao quietly took the paper off Feliciano's forehead and joined the others as they watched intently, hoping that there would be some form of life coming from him. To their shock, nothing was happening.

"Did you find him, bruder?"

"I did…and I carried him all the way to the exit…I swear…"

A low moan caught their ears, and Ludwig literally slammed his hands on the bed to watch him. Feliciano's head moved to the side, and his eyes opened up slowly to view the area. Golden eyes just hovered around, confused, before meeting up with Ludwig's. A strange blush crossed his face, and he turned his head away from him.

"Feli…"

He turned back, seeing Ludwig's concerned face and smiled quietly. He looked so close to death that Ludwig felt hurt.

"_I'm hungry…"_

"Don't worry, I got you."

Ludwig quickly picked him up and wrapped him with the blanket, watching Feliciano weakly grip onto his shirt, and then headed out toward the banquet hall. The other three found themselves smiling at what they saw.

"Mission completed, aru." Yao smiled.

"Indeed." Roderich turned to him. "Now then, we shall discuss the matter of payment."

Gilbert watched as the both of them left the bedroom, most likely heading to the negotiation hall to discuss those matters. He turned to the window and stared at the sun peeking through the windowsill. He never really understood why it looked so beautiful, but that time he figured it was because the window was so big. There he was, in his royal attire, in a guest bedroom, surrounded by riches and wealth beyond his wildest dreams, and through it all, he kept a level head _(as far as he's concerned)_. That was the ultimate victory that he could have.

He heard footsteps of soldiers marching behind him, and then started to surround the door from where he was standing in. The prince turned around and saw the general stand forward, hesitatingly lifting up a blade to Gilbert's neck. He kept his calm, of course, for he knew the next few words from his mouth.

"Lord Gilbert Beilschmidt, on behalf of the King, I hereby arrest you on account of espionage and treason."


	36. A Few Things to Explain

"Can you eat on your own, Feliciano?"

"I…I can try."

Goodness, he was failing immensely. It felt impossible lifting up his metal spoon. All of his energy seemed drained out of his body, and he felt so bad that he couldn't really do anything by himself. Ludwig saw the poor boy 's wrist shaking and unable to work properly. He sighed and took the spoon, confusing the boy.

"Eh?"

"Open your mouth."

Feliciano stared at him in confusion before opening his mouth, instantly feeling the spoon being led into his mouth. He felt his cheeks burn immensely before finally getting the energy to chew on his own. He looked down to hide the blush, yet unfortunately Ludwig thought he was losing more energy. He lifted up Feliciano's chin and saw his face turn from a chalky pale to a bright pink.

"Do you have a fever?"

"_N-no…"_

"But your face is so red…and you're getting warm."

"_I-it's just the energy coming back…really."_

Feliciano quickly took the spoon back from Ludwig, and continued to eat on his own, running on only the notion that for some reason being fed by him was the most embarrassing and yet the greatest thing that could ever happen to him. Then again, he was back in this dream state…where everything is all happy and flowers and stuff…

"Ludwig."

"Yes?"

"Am I…still dreaming?"

"No. Whatever you were in before was just a dream, a nightmare." The prince answered. "Whatever it was, you didn't wake up from it for quite some time."

"That explains why I'm so hungry…" Feliciano held onto his stomach. "And tired…"

"You've slept enough. For now, you eat and try to regain your strength."

"Yes, Ludwig." Feliciano smiled. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome." Ludwig held his hand. "I'm just glad that you're alive."

Feliciano blushed even more.

"But…if it's not too much, there's a few things that I want to ask you, all right?"

"Um…s-sure."

"All right…first off, do you remember if anything…spiritual happened to you before you came here?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Like…were there any encounters with something that threatened to hurt you?"

Feliciano looked away, wondering if he should actually say something. He thought of Arthur, that horrible man that made his life a living hell hole ever since he realized his feelings. He thought of how much power he has over his life, and if he tells him anything, he'll make him suffer all the same. Ludwig could see the pain in his eyes, and quietly rubbed his arm.

"You can tell me. I already saved you from a nightmare, so I'm willing to believe anything."

"…_it was an angel."_

"Hm?"

"It was this angel, with blond hair and white wings. All he kept telling me was that I was immoral and sinful, and that if I didn't change my ways he would have to deal with me personally." Feliciano folded his hands. "I…I refused to change who I was and…this happened."

Ludwig's eyes widened. Blond hair, white wings…there was no way that he was thinking about the same person that attacked him into a coma…the person that was after Feliciano…they were the same thing…?

"First, he tried to hurt me, then he tried to poison one of my friends…and then he forced Francine to sell me back to the prison that they bought me from. And when I tried to run away, he chased me down to the cliffs and pushed me off." He started crying. "He…he turned into you…and he told me that you hated me…and…"

"And…"

"…_I believed it."_

"What…?"

"_You…you hate me, don't you?"_

"Of course I don't. Why would I save you if I didn't?"

"You…what?"

"The person that carried you out of the prison…that was me."

"You?" Feliciano blushed. "You saved me…?"

"Yes…I did." Ludwig couldn't help but smile. "You were so fragile in there, so close to death…"

"_I…I'm so grateful that you cared for me…"_ He rubbed his cheeks. _"I can't remember the last person who did something like this for me…I hope I didn't trouble you."_

"The only trouble you caused me was that you didn't wake up from it." Ludwig answered. "Seriously, I have never been so scared in my entire life."

"But you were in wars…and battles…and-"

"Nope. Never this scared."

"Oh…wow…" He looked away, hiding his blush. "T-thank you…"

"Of course. It's my duty to protect those close to me." Ludwig held his hands. "Are you good to answer another question?"

"Eh? Y-yes…"

"What was with that prison in your nightmare? It felt so realistic…"

It was then that he realized that Feliciano was shaking uncontrollably and almost began to sob before him. Ludwig froze, unable to understand what was going on, before going forward and hugging him gently. The boy sobbed quietly in his chest, clinging onto him with all the energy he could muster from his fragile muscles.

"I…I…"

"You don't have to-"

"No, no…it's all right. It's too important not to tell you." Feliciano wiped his eyes. "When I was taken, I was sent to a…slave camp, I think it was called. And we were abused, and tortured, and made fun of, and not allowed to call each other by name…few people would even remember what they were named when they escape."

"What…?"

"And there was a guy there that took a liking to me…he wouldn't let people buy me…he kept me for his own…" He sobbed. _"And…he…he did things to me…"_

"Shhhhh…it's over…"

"Why can't he get out of my head…? Why can't he leave me alone…?"

"He's not here anymore, everything is better." He smiled. "You're alive. That man won't ever come back for us anymore. He thinks you're dead now, so…"

"It's over?"

"Yes, it's over."

"Thank goodness…I was so scared that he was going to do something to us…"

Ludwig smiled softly, petting Feliciano and knowing for a fact that no matter what happens now, he knows how to counter magic with the mage that Gilbert had hired. Hopefully, Feliciano will be left alone and he could live in peace. Come to think of it…

"Your amnesia…"

"Yes…it's gone." Feliciano smiled. "I don't know what happened either…"

The two of them stared at each other before chucking in happiness, unable to figure out what just happened. After a few minutes, Feliciano continued to eat, his energy finally returning to him. Suddenly, Roderich walked through the door, a confused look on his face. Feliciano and Ludwig looked up as the man turned to him in confusion.

"Have you two seen Gilbert?"


	37. Either True Love or True Happiness

**I'm surprised a few people remembered Elizabeta during this part of the story, and all of them were asking how she is doing and what's going on. You should realize that she is the Cinderella of this story, so while all of this is happening, the original Cinderella story is happening back in her part of the house. As for Natalya…that's a secret ;D**

**/=+=/**

The soldiers could not tell them where he was. The nobles seemed too scared to mention the name of the man. It was almost as if Gilbert had fallen off the map and out of the plane of existence. Each step that they went forward, Ludwig started to worry about the condition of his brother. What was going on…?

"I'm scared…Gilbert's not one to disappear like this." Feliciano looked at him. "Unless…something happened to him…?"

"No, I doubt it. I would've noticed it if it did." Ludwig answered. "He was one to announce when he was going to do something stupid."

Roderich, in the meanwhile, felt horrible. His one duty was to protect the prince, the heir to the throne, and yet here he was, unable to find him, and the whole castle unwilling to give him any answers to his pounding questions. Why was the castle not telling him anything? Did Gilbert do something that horrible to them, or worse…?

"Why don't we find your father?" He finally forced out. "He would most definitely know what is going on with Gilbert."

"All right." Ludwig nodded. "Feliciano, stay close."

"Yes."

**/=+=/**

"I never understood why I trusted you all this time."

Gilbert looked up from his prison cell and saw the king standing there, with an angered look on his face. The guards all stood at full alert, knowing for sure that he was capable of taking all of them out if he ever decided to charge his way out of the cell. He couldn't help but wonder how many backup men were stationed outside.

"You were the son of my brother, the one that my kingdom hates…that I detest." He continued. "The blood of the father goes into that of the son."

"So you're saying that I'm corrupted."

"A disgrace to my entire kingdom…I'm glad that I'm still alive when I learned the truth, or else my line would fall into ruin." The king said sternly. "Your execution will be tomorrow morning, and it will be as painful as you have inflicted on me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The king glared at him in anger before turning to leave the prison, telling the guards not to switch out in case Gilbert tries to charge forward or someone tries to come in from the outside. He seemed sure of what he was doing, unafraid of the consequences that might befall on him in regards to his son…the actual heir to the throne.

"Hey, pops. You wanna know how you trusted me this entire time?"

He turned around.

"I wished for it. Wishes go a long way, you know."

"Goodness…I just wish for you to be quiet until the time comes."

"_**I can do that…"**_

**/=+=/**

"Uwaaaa…we checked everywhere!"

"_Where could that bastard go…?"_ Ludwig shook his head. "Maybe he went into the town?"

"Now why would he do that?" Feliciano blinked. "It's mid-noon!"

"That's what worries me."

Roderich seemed to get paler by the minute. He didn't want to think about what was going on with Gilbert. As more people denied telling him anything, he began to wonder if this was even about Gilbert in the first place. His mind began to wander…perhaps the one that cursed Feliciano was the one behind this…a failsafe, perhaps?

"Roderich? What's wrong?"

"…I have a bad feeling about this."

"You're not the only one, but I think you're the one who figured out what's going on."

"What are you talking about? I really don't have a clue, Ludwig."

"I know you don't…but you have a good guess, don't you?"

"Ludwig? What are you talking about?"

"…it has something to do with Feliciano."

"Eh?"

"I mean the one who cursed him."

Feliciano's eyes literally widened as the realization crashed onto him. Arthur did this. He was the one who took Gilbert away. But why? Why in the world would he do something to such a man? Was it because he took care of Feliciano while he was recovering? Why not take it out on Ludwig, or Roderich, or…?

"…look. I'm only guessing at this point. I don't know if that's literally the reason why he's missing. Let's just keep looking for him, all right?"

"Why don't we split up? We'll cover more ground that way."

**/=+=/**

Feliciano had no idea where he was. In all his years in this place, he never once noticed this hallway leading into the darkness. As he walked through the stone pathways, he couldn't help but notice the amounts of soldiers surrounding the grounds. Was there someone here that they shouldn't be seeing? Was this a prison?

_I…I shouldn't be here, shouldn't I?_ He shivered. _But Gilbert…he must be here, isn't he? If Roderich is right?_

He wandered through the crannies, surprised that the guards were not seeing him at all. He snuck through the crowd and noticed that the soldiers were switching for guard duty. Next to them was a prisoner staring at the guards and not saying a word. He turned his head and noticed Feliciano, familiar red eyes looking back at him.

_Gilbert…!_

Feliciano ran in the shadows, hidden from the light, and clung onto the bars, staring in shock at the man behind bars. Gilbert was shocked that he saw him at all, before crawling forward and holding his delicate fingers. He hated how broken he looked, tears rolling up in his eyes as the boy leaned onto the bars shaking.

"_Your brother's looking all over for you…why are you here? What's going on?"_

Gilbert didn't say a word, holding onto his fingers as if to tell him something that he couldn't understand. The young boy looked up as realization crashed on him.

"_Is this…because of me? Did you all do this for me?"_

He closed his eyes and started shaking his head to assure him, hurting the poor boy more than it should be. Gilbert hated that; he hated how easily broken he is.

"_I'm so sorry…this wouldn't have happened if I had come here…"_

"_**At least you already realized that."**_

Feliciano's eyes widened and turned to see a familiar figure standing next to him, familiar green eyes piercing deep into his soul. Gilbert froze, noticing what was going on, and was furiously shaking his head to tell him the truth. But he couldn't see him. Feliciano was fixated at Arthur, scared at what was going to happen.

"_**It was either you, or him. And here he chose the one unworthy of life incarnate."**_

"_B-but…"_

"_**If you never came here, Gilbert wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be dead by tomorrow's sunrise."**_

"_N-no! You can't do that!"_

"_**He already made that choice. All for your sorry soul…"**_

Feliciano found himself shaking, holding his head and sobbing openly. Ludwig had just saved his life, and now he was going to lose his brother all the same. Why did so many horrible things have to happen to him? To everyone else around him? Did he really deserve any of this punishment? Did he deserve even the slightest bit of happiness…?

"_C-can we switch again?"_

"_**Hm?"**_

Gilbert's eyes widened, and he grabbed onto Feliciano as hard as he could, making sure he doesn't get away. He quickly tore himself away from him. He had made his choice. Family does not go above friendship…above him.

"_I'll…I'll go back to sleep like before…just please return everything to what it used to be. Give Gilbert back the throne, and please don't hurt anyone else again…"_

"…_**as you wish…eternal sleep for his happiness."**_

Gilbert tried his best to block him, but Arthur quickly threw him to the other side of the room. His screams caused all the soldiers to charge into the room, aiming their spears at the strange new figure and realizing that Feliciano was at his mercy. Yet Arthur was making them unable to move, his glare literally freezing them in place.

"_**This will be painless."**_

Feliciano closed his eyes and shivered, imagining that Ludwig was by his side, holding his hand and telling him that it was going to be all right. Everyone watched in horror as Arthur reached into Feliciano's chest, rummaging for something as the younger boy screamed in pain, trying his best not to make any more noises and failing miserably. Slowly, Arthur's hand pulled away, holding a small white flame before the young boy, who stared at it curiously before collapsing onto the ground.

"_**Goodness…sometimes you have to do it yourself, huh?"**_

Arthur instantly vanished, the memory of him going with him. Gilbert blinked for a few minutes before realizing that he was inside a prison cell. He ran to the bars and started shaking it profusely.

"_**Hey!**_ What the hell am I doing in here? That's totally unawesome!" He looked down. "Hey-!"

Instantly, there was a great movement. The king charged forward, confused on what was going on and wondering why in the world his stepson was in a prison cell. He instantly ordered for the guards to let him go, and Gilbert couldn't have sailed out of there any faster. He turned his head and saw Feliciano on the ground, unmoving from the screams.

"What the hell is Feliciano doing here?" He blinked. "I thought you were still asleep in your room…well, better make sure to bring you back before bruder flips."

**/=+=/**

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**England:**** Please don't tie me up again. I barely survived that.**

**Mitsuki:**** Eh, I probably won't.**

**England:**** *phew***

**Mitsuki:**** Cause I'm gonna kill you myself.**

**England:**** EH!?**

**PITCHFORK TIME!**


	38. As Pure as Blooming Daisies

Ludwig and Roderich stood there in a blur of confusion, wondering what the heck they were searching for. They barely remembered what it was a second ago…come to think of it, how was Feliciano? They couldn't remember anything at all. The prince turned toward the valet, who shrugged with a look of confusion.

"What were we looking for?"

"Oi! Bruder! There you are!"

The two of them looked up and saw Gilbert charging toward them, holding onto Feliciano's body as he dangled loosely in his arms. Instantly, Ludwig paled and charged toward them, grabbing Feliciano's pale body from his brother. For some reason, he felt heavier than his lighter self just a few hours ago…

"What the heck were you doing with him?"

"Don't ask me! I have no idea what the heck happened either!" Gilbert lifted his hands. "All I remember was that I was in a prison cell with the guards and Feliciano was right in front of the door!"

"How does that even work…? Did he just walk on his own?"

"Stop debating and carry him back to his room. We need to figure out how to wake him up."

Ludwig's gaze turned back to the young man in his arms, seeing his head droop on his shoulder. He couldn't help but frown at just how fragile he looked, unmoving and pale…a little too pale, now that he thought about it. He stopped and stared at him, watching his face shake from the stop, hoping that he could see anything in those eyes again.

"Oi, bruder. Time to go."

"…yeah…"

**/=+=/**

"My lord, your father wanted me to ask you something on his behalf."

"What is it now, Roderich?"

"He wants to know if you had found a wife yet."

"In case you're wondering, no I hadn't." Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I remember one chick, though."

"Someone that might be worth your interests?"

"Really? You're going to ask about this?"

"You ask about my love interests; I have the liberty to asking you as well."

"…touché."

Gilbert walked forward, wondering what he could actually say at a time like this. If anything, he was still worried about Feliciano and hoping that he was going to be all right and pull off a full recovery. Finding a date in a personal crisis such as this? Where is Roderich's brain at a time like this? Then again, this is the king speaking…

"It was that girl that Feliciano knew. The one with the long brown hair."

"Elizabeta? The one that almost crushed your manhood in because you _'accidentally'_ grazed her butt?"

"Yeah, that chick…I think she's into me!"

"I…highly doubt that."

"I just know it~"

"You have to be the strangest person I have ever met, Gilbert."

"What can I say? I have high hopes for me and this woman~"

"…"

"Why are you asking this, specifically?"

"Well, the king's birthday is soon, and he's inviting as many people as he can-"

"His birthday is coming up? Seriously? Why did I forget that?"

"You just didn't care, perhaps?"

"Maybe…" Gilbert sighed. "Fine, invite all the girls you can. Just make sure that Elizabeta chick is on the list."

"I will make sure of that. What will you do in the time being?"

"Duh. I'm going to figure out how to wake up Feliciano."

**/=+=/**

Ludwig stared quietly at the young boy in front of him, millions of questions going through his mind. Was it safe for him to be sleeping this entire time? After all the times that he didn't eat, why isn't he dead? Is he holding on by sheer willpower? And most importantly, how in the world did he get to the cell where Gilbert had been imprisoned in…for no reason at all?

The prince leaned back on his chair, a billion questions rolling through his mind. None of this made any sense to him. It was almost as if there was an actual force trying to hold him back from the truth. Why would they do something like that, though? Who was trying to keep him from saving Feliciano? Did they really want him to suffer this immensely?

"_Why do they hate you, Feliciano? What did you do?"_

He found himself caressing his hair out of his eyelids, watching, hoping, that there would be a flinching reaction from the young boy. Seconds passed…minutes…hours? Nothing. Nothing came out of him. It was as if he was watching a body slowly rotting away into the earth where they were once before…

"_Please…talk to me…"_

For the first time, he closed his eyes and hid back the tears that welled inside him. From the darkness of his mind, he imagined Feliciano sitting across from him at their dining table. He would be eating his lunch in peace, asking for others to pass the food over with his soft voice. Then he would turn to him and smile, happy that he was alive and that he was finally in a place where he would not be tortured and ridiculed…

Why was the image of his smile impossible to remove from his head?

"Oi, bruder."

He turned his head to see Gilbert standing at the door, staring back at him with a blank look on his face. The prince stood, staring back at his brother with a confused look on his face. Gilbert had no idea what he was thinking; he had never seen that look before. Yet it somehow troubled him…

"What do you want?"

"I really don't be the one to tell you this…"

"What is it now?"

"Well…your father's birthday is coming up, and he's going to be throwing a party in his honor."

"I know that, and I figured that he would. What is your point?"

"That's kind of the problem. If he's going to be throwing a party, then we'll have to be there all day and night entertaining the guests, right? Rules of being a prince?"

Ludwig instantly paled. That meant that for one whole day, no one was going to be watching over Feliciano in his ever-lasting slumber. What if, during the birthday party, he finally wakes up? Would he be lost? Would he have memory loss again? Will he be calling for him, dazed and confused and hungry? What if he was in trouble during that time? What if he…?

Why was he this immensely worried about him?

"So…"

"I could try getting someone to watch over him, if you want. Either that, or I'll tell uncle that you're sick or something-"

"Just…get someone to watch him, that's all. I'll go to the party." He answered plainly. "I can't disappoint father, after all."

"Hey, don't be that depressed. You'd probably make puppies cry with a face that long."

"Oh ha ha." Ludwig grunted. "When do I have to get ready?"

"Um…now, actually. They want to make you a custom uniform for the birthday party."

He couldn't help but find himself hesitating. If he left, would Feliciano be all right under the supervision of whoever would be here? What if whoever attacked him comes back? Feliciano would be too far away from him, he can't call for help, and god knows what would happen if he had died on the one day he went away for the sake of his father…yet something, from the back of his mind, was urging him to go on. Go forward. Leave him alone, for he will be just fine. He'll be asleep when you leave, and he'll still be doing so when you return.

The thought pained him.

"…all right."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to send someone."

Ludwig nodded, staring back unto the boy sleeping peacefully on the bed before him. Before he knew it, he was leaning forward and kissing him on the forehead, feeling the warm skin underneath his lips, and went to leave with Gilbert. He only stopped to take one more look at him before finally disappearing into the hallways.

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"_**Goodness, I thought he'd never leave."**_

Arthur hovered outside the wall of his room, watching the two princes leave the room before phasing through the wall and staring at the boy before him, sleeping peacefully in front of him. He never thought that something so cursed would look so innocent. That would explain a lot of things…

"_**That's good, because he won't be waking up any time soon."**_

He looked down and felt the warm fire rise up from his palm, the one that he stole from Feliciano. Then again, the better terming would be that he stole Feliciano himself, the very essence of his life. If this were any other horrible person, he would've instantly destroyed it and be on his way. Besides, Elizabeta wasn't going to dress herself up, wouldn't she?

Yet somehow…he couldn't bring himself to do so.

He felt like he could contribute that fact to the strange observation that he could not see any evil on it. Every single person has some form of evil inside them, that's what makes them human. Yet it was nearly impossible for him to find it. Besides, intensifying the evil is a surefire way for him to get rid of this soul…

"_**This is going to be more of a hassle than I thought…"**_ Arthur spat. _**"I'm going to have to find that said evil."**_

Feliciano must've caked himself with so many lies that he was pure-hearted that even his soul began to believe it. He had seen individuals like that; the evil was straight underneath like peeling an orange. All he had to do was take a dive into his deepest secrets and find something he could exploit…


	39. A Childhood Lost and Broken

"_This is…"_

"_My lord, our men are looking as hard as we can for any survivors."_

"_Please hasten your search. We can't stay here for long…search under the rubble as well."_

"_Yes, my lord."_

_Legolas had no idea what he was seeing at this point. Was his brother really this heartless to have done this much damage on a city that had long ago been neutral to this cause? As his horse marched through the wreckage, he found himself cringing at the bodies among them. He turned his head and saw the body of a young girl reaching out toward her father, his severed head rolling toward her hands. Behind him, one of his soldiers vomited. Not that he could blame him._

_As he trekked through the ruins, he could see that the majority of the bodies were that of old men. He could just imagine how many of the survivors he will actually find. Most likely, they would be slaves to the empire or work as soldiers to a regime that took everything away from them. He was so grateful that his own son was safe in the hands of his men, that he would not fall into this kind of fate…_

_Was that him crying?_

"_My lord, what is the haste?"_

_He turned his horse around and started charging toward the sound of the voice, mixing between muffled screaming and sobbing. As he charged closer, the soldiers heard the sound too, and started to charge toward the location as well. The sound brought them to a caved-in house, blood on the majority of the wood that had collapsed on top of them. A hand protruded out of the wood, the sword dangling out of the fingertips before collapsing onto the floor with a loud clang._

_A few feet away, the sobbing continued, calling out for his mother to get off. Quickly, they started pulling away at the rubble, hearing the sobs grow louder and louder until they just stopped. Legolas watched as one of the young men reached out, whispering something to him, before recoiling back in shock, shaking his hand. There seemed to be teeth marks on his wrist._

"_OW!"_

"_He bit you? You serious?"_

"_Oh shut up!"_

_The king walked toward the opening and took a peek inside, almost wincing at what he saw. There was a little girl inside, pinned down by the dead body of the mother who protected her from the falling rubble that surrounded the two individuals. She was looking at the men surrounding her, and cried in her mother's chest._

"_Mommy…they're scaring me…get them away…" She looked up to her. "Mommy? Why aren't you waking up?"_

_Legolas literally wanted to puke right there. Instead, he motioned for everyone to get all the rubble off of them as soon as possible. The wood came off as quickly as ever, and the body fell off the girl. She quickly pulled herself to her knees and started crawling toward the woman, shaking her with whispered noises that couldn't help but break their hearts._

"_Mommy…mommy, wake up. We have to get out of here…" She whimpered. "Mommy? M-mommy…?"_

_The king closed his eyes, clearly pained, as the soldiers decided to get the bodies of the parents inside the rubble. As they went to help the dead woman, the child instantly started screaming and began to rapidly smack them away with a broken part of their roof. She was quickly exhausted and collapsed onto the ground._

"_Mommy…daddy…" She cried. "Don't…don't hurt them, please…"_

"_We won't hurt them, my dear." The king walked up to her. "We are here to make sure that they are given what they need."_

"…_you won't…you won't hurt them?"_

"_Of course not…" He smiled. "What is your name, child?"_

"…_F-Fe…Feliciano…"_

"_Is that your…last name?"_

"_N-no…that's my first name."_

_Legolas found himself being taken aback. It was rare for that name to be used as a first, and even then, it sounded too much like a boy's name. For this girl to be named that in a world where the boys are whisked away, what were they planning? Unless this was something else entirely…_

"_Come with me. I will not hurt you…my men will not hurt you, and we will make sure that your parents are all right."_

"_P-promise?"_

"_I swear."_

_**/=+=/**_

_Feliciano had been silent as he sat next to the king on his horse. Behind him, his men were making sure that the bodies of his parents were treated with great care. All of them already knew they were long past survival, but for some reason, no one wanted to tell the little boy that. Not with him as worried as he was now._

"_Mama…papa…" He sobbed. "It's going to be all right…they're going to save you…"_

"…" _Legolas rubbed his forehead. The child was only six years old, and yet so naïve of death…_

"_W-why aren't they waking up, mister?" He looked up. "A-are they going to wake up soon? Are they going to be all right?"_

_He said nothing, worried about what would happen if he were to tell the truth. He had a hard time trying to explain anything to his children. How he was able to raise his son without him having a mental breakdown was something beyond his own power of understanding. Hopefully, he was all right and that he wasn't gone for long…_

_As he rounded the corner to his empty castle, he noticed that his son was waiting at the entrance with the rest of his worried citizens, cheering at the sight of their lord and loved ones. Feliciano couldn't help but notice that one of the boys was staring right at him, a confused look on his face, almost as if he had no idea what to think about the strange child that had a feminine figure._

"_Ludwig, I want you to take care of this boy for me, all right?" Legolas smiled. "He has been through a lot."_

"_Um…all right?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Who is…wait, __**he!?"**_

"_Yes, this is a man. His parents disguised him from the warriors." He turned to Feliciano. "This is my only son, Ludwig Kaltherzig. Ludwig, this is Feliciano."_

"…_um…" He came out of hiding, bowing. "N-nice to meet you, Ludwig."_

_The blond boy stared at him in confusion, turning his head to see two bodies being rolled away into the castle. They looked strikingly similar to the boy before him, and he deduced that perhaps he was their son. As the image of them passed by, Feliciano found himself shaking, muttering prayers and hoping that he was going to see them again._

"_S-so…Ludwig, isn't it?"_

"_It's Heilrich."_

"_Eh? But your father said it was-"_

"_We're hiding, dummy. Heilrich's my name until my father becomes the rightful king of this land!"_

"…_king? But I thought-"_

"_The one on the throne now is my uncle, and he forced us off his castle!" Ludwig really seemed to be into it. "Once we get him out, my father will be the rightful king of the land!"_

"…_s-so you're a prince then!"_

"_Yeah, you can say that." He was beaming._

_Feliciano couldn't help but smile as the doors closed behind him. As he was led inside the small castle, he figured that Ludwig was a really nice boy (with a strange name, but whatever), and that his parents would really love learning that the king that they were being crushed under was going to be overthrown by the rightful heir to the throne._

_**/=+=/**_

"_I'm sorry, Feliciano…but your parents are gone now…"_

_Feliciano had no idea how to process that information. Just behind the king were the bodies of his parents, surrounded by brilliant roses and daisies. They weren't gone, they were right there. He could see them clearly. What was this man talking about? Quietly, he walked toward the bodies of his parents and stared at the peaceful faces of his mother and father._

"_But…they're right here." He turned around. "I-if this is a hide-and-seek game, then they're really bad at playing it."_

"…_Feliciano."_

"_Or maybe you're going to keep them here and wait for them to wake up…that was what you meant when they're gone…papa's a heavy sleeper, so…" He turned to his father. "Papa…it's-it's time to wake up now. We're in a castle now! We'll no longer have to starve…papa?"_

_No matter how long he would shake him, his father would not budge from his place. Confused, he turned his head and started shaking his mother's body. She was sleeping peacefully, holding a daisy in her hands. It was strange; his mother would never oversleep. It was near an impossibility. Why were none of them waking up? His shaking continued to grow in power._

"_Mama? __**Mama?**__ Wake up, please!" He sobbed. "Please, mama! Why are you still sleeping? I don't want you to sleep! I don't want to be alone…!"_

_Legolas watched in pain as the young boy knelt before his mother's body and started sobbing uncontrollably, confused on what was going on as the reality of the situation crashed upon his feeble body. As he was about to leave, he noticed that Ludwig had entered the room, seeing what was going on and watching the young boy sobbing at his lost parents. As he walked in, Feliciano's head darted up._

"_Ah-! O-oh, it's just you…" He tried his best to wipe his tears away. "M-mama and papa aren't waking up."_

"…_they're not going to wake up."_

"_Eh?"_

"_They're going to be sleeping forever."_

"_B-but that's impossible! Mama said that sleeping forever is impossible. Papa even tried doing that, too…"_

"_It's…a different kind of sleeping…the one no one wakes up from."_

"…_so…they're gone?"_

"_They're…gone."_

"_B-but…mama…"_

"…_Feliciano…what does having a mother like?"_

"_Eh?"_

"_My mother fell asleep forever when she had me. I don't know what having a mother is like." He turned to him, sitting at the head of Feliciano's father. "What is having one like?"_

"_W-well…" He hiccupped. "She cooks and cleans the house a lot…and sometimes wakes up my father when he oversleeps…"_

"_It sounds really cool."_

"_It is…mama loves me and loves me dearly~" Feliciano giggled. "I-I just wish that I heard it again…I miss her voice…"_

_Ludwig looked at him, seeing him cry quietly in his arms. Without thinking, he sat down next to him and rubbed his back. His father would do that, and for some reason it would always calm him down. Almost like magic, Feliciano quietly calmed down and fell asleep on his shoulder. In his slumber, he dreamt of his parents once more._


	40. Leaning Into the Teenage Years

"_I'm going to stay here, aren't I?"_

"_Yeah, you are." Legolas smiled. "You've been giving Ludwig the company I can't give him right now, and for that I thank you."_

"_Y-you're welcome." He blushed quietly. "But it's not like I've done much…"_

"_You've done more than I ever could…but we determined that since you're staying here, you might as well get a good education."_

"_A good…edu…?"_

"_Education."_

"_Edu…kay…tion."_

"_That's a good start." Legolas smiled. "With a great stroke of luck, I have just the man to teach you."_

_Feliciano tilted his head in confusion as he saw a teenage boy walking toward him. He had neat hair and what looked like a nobleman's uniform (almost hitting early twenties), but what took his attention the most, for some reason, was the strange mole on the side of his mouth. It was sticking out from his otherwise pale skin, almost as if it was trying to escape his skin…which sounded very weird._

"_This is Roderich Edelstein, the son of a good friend of mine." The teenager bowed. "He will be your teacher."_

"_N-nice to meet you." He bowed quietly. "My name is Feliciano Vargas…"_

"_Not bad…but your bow has to be more straight."_

"_Eh?"_

"_You're bending by your back. You have to bend straight on the waist."_

_Feliciano blinked for a minute as Roderich straightened his back, feeling a lot of strain on his spine. It felt weird for a few minutes before the teenager gave up, and the little boy was watching him mutter some strange words to himself that made the king smack him upside the head and using the word "innocence" a lot. He tilted his head and started wondering what was going on._

"_Don't worry about it, all right Feliciano?"_

"_Uh…?"_

"_Anyway, Roderich. Why don't you teach him some of your lessons?"_

"_All right."_

_**/=+=/**_

"_Hey, Feli. Check this out!"_

"_Ve?"_

_Feliciano watched Ludwig as he pointed at the forest next to the castle before charging headfirst into the darkness. He whimpered and started calling out to him, but after a few minutes of not hearing a response, he gave up and started heading inside after him. The trees were so close to each other, and it felt like it was narrowing on him. He blinked, and found the body of his mother on top of him again, surrounded by scraps of wood…_

"_Hey, Feliciano! Are you all right?"_

_His eyes widened, realizing that he was crying. He turned his head and saw that Ludwig was looking straight at him, holding on his wrist and seeing just how pale he had got. The blond quickly pulled him to his feet, seeing the boy before him blush in embarrassment, before holding his hand and leading him through the woods._

"_You shouldn't let fear rule your life, Feli! Otherwise, you'll miss out on all the good things in life!"_

"_L-like what? Where are we going?"_

"_You'll see!"_

_He blinked before seeing what he was talking about: a cliff overseeing the ocean, just as the sun was setting before them. Feliciano knelt on the rocks, seeing everything before them, hearing the sound of the water hitting the shore. A few feet away, they could see a tiny port city forming a few feet away from the castle. Feliciano ran to the edge and looked at it._

"_Wow…this place is amazing!"_

"_Yeah, that's one of the cities that we liberated from the evil king." Ludwig knelt next to him. "We're planning on making that our capital once father becomes king."_

"_Next to the ocean…" Feliciano stared at the sea and the sunset. "It looks so beautiful."_

"_What, have you seen the ocean before?"_

"…_no, I haven't. My father has, though, and he said that it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen…and he said that he met mama there too."_

"_This does look like a beautiful place to meet someone." Ludwig smiled. "But look at the sunset! It's the best place to see it, don't you think?"_

"_Yeah, I know." Feliciano giggled. "It's so nice-"_

_There was a strange rustling sound, catching the both of them off guard. They both darted their heads toward the source of the sound, the blond quickly jumping in front of Feliciano to protect him as the source started getting closer. Finally, an image of the source came in their view, and they could not believe what they were seeing._

_It was a young boy, perhaps thirteen if not younger, with one of his red eyes covered with a poorly strewn bandage. His platinum hair had been stained red and covered with bandages, yet his outfit seems to dictate that he comes from a noble family. He didn't even seem to notice the boys, instead staring at the sunset that was peeking over the horizon. He limped toward the sun, not looking at them, before the stick he was leaning on broke and he collapsed onto the ground._

_It was instant the reaction. Feliciano leapt to his side, not noticing Ludwig staying his ground, shaking the boy and barely seeing his chest move in ragged breaths. He lifted his hands and stared in shock at all of the blood that covered it. It scared him for just a minute, even when Ludwig dragged him away from the body._

"_Don't touch him, Feli!"_

"_W-what? What's wrong with him? What's going on?"_

"_That boy is the enemy, Feliciano…he's the son of the evil king!" Ludwig backed him up. "What is he doing here?"_

"_I-if he's the enemy, then why is he hurt?"_

"_He must've run into our guards and tried to escape." He spat. "No noble of his regime is allowed here…"_

_Feliciano blinked for a few minutes before walking forward, shaking the body again. He was going deathly pale, looking exactly like his parents as the life slowly drained out of them. He couldn't help but wonder if he was dead as well. As he lifted his hand against his mouth, his eyes widened: he was no longer breathing. Meanwhile, Ludwig stood confused._

"_What?"_

"_He's…not breathing."_

"_Good, that means he's dead." He folded his hands. "Oh, I have a great idea! Help me carry him!"_

"_Eh? Why?"_

"_I have the perfect idea…maybe this will help father regain his throne!"_

_**/=+=/**_

"_What did you say!?"_

"_I mean it, father! That boy over there attacked us while he was wounded and I had to protect the both of us!" Ludwig stated. "I have no idea how he got here, either!"_

"_That means that our defenses are lacking…I shall tighten them more as soon as I can." He knelt beside his boy. "I'm glad you're not hurt."_

"_Well, it's because he attacked us while he was hurt. I have no idea why, either!"_

"_Oh dear…this boy must've been really desperate…"_

_**/=+=/**_

"_Roderich, who is this boy?"_

"_This is Gilbert Beilschmidt. He's the son of the king in power, the only son, I believe." Roderich turned back to him. "Though why in the world would he be here out of all places?"_

"_L-Ludwig fought him when he attacked us." He answered quietly. "He was really scary…"_

"_Attacked with what? He's too weak to attack with his hands, and I don't see a weapon on him." The teenager turned back to Feliciano. "Are you lying to me?"_

"_N-no…that's what Ludwig said…"_

"_Ah…eight-year-olds…always thinking that they have the whole world on their shoulders."_

"_I-I'm sorry…he thought that with this, the king can finally wage an attack on the evil king…"_

"_I'm not surprised by that statement. Ludwig does want to do whatever he can to bring his father to the throne."_

_Roderich turned back to the boy sleeping on the bed, his breathing finally returning to his rugged body. He turned back to a pale Feliciano, who hated the image of this man in pain, and yet could not do anything to help him in any way he could. That alone made him smile, for he had never seen anyone so dedicated to help anyone in his life, even if he was a pure and naïve little boy…_

"_Feliciano." He knelt down to his level. "Do you want to help him?"_

"_Yes…yes, of course! But I don't know how…"_

"_Well, how about I teach you some basic skills on treating wounds? His bandages need to be changed, anyway." Roderich smiled. "I need you to go down to the maid's quarters and ask for a roll of bandages and a bowl of warm water. Can you do that for me?"_

"_Uh-huh! I sure can, Roderich!"_

"_All right, don't let me down."_

_He stood up and watched the little boy run toward the maid's quarters, his laugh echoing the hallway until he could no longer hear it. A few quiet moments passed by before hearing a low groan from the side of the bed. He turned around and noticed that Gilbert was finally waking up from the small coma that he was in. Red eyes turned their attention toward the other man in the room, and cringed at the image._

"_You're finally awake."_

"…_w…wh…"_

"_You broke a few ribs. You probably shouldn't be talking."_

"…_where…?"_

"_You're in the castle of Lord Kaltherzig." He answered. "Seeing as how you found us, you must have been looking for us for quite some time."_

"…"

_Roderich turned back down to the wounds on Gilbert's body, noticing that most of the wounds on his body were healing bruises and cuts. During his sleep, they determined that some of his bones had been broken and were healing incorrectly, and had to recrack it to correct it. If he was in pain, then he really was good at hiding it._

"_Why are you here?"_

"…"

"_You do realize that you are the son of the biggest enemy of this kingdom, Gilbert. So what are you doing here?"_

"…_fa…ther…"_

"_Hm?"_

"…_hurt…me…"_

"_All right…that's enough out of you." He held his shoulders lightly. "You should get some rest. Talk when everything's healed up."_

_Gilbert looked at Roderich for a few minutes before slowly going back down on the bed, closing his eyes to rest. Five seconds later, he was out like a light. Roderich stared at the wounds on his body, noting that they did look like abuse marks. How interesting that even with those wounds, he was able to get all the way up here to this castle. How was he able to get here…?_

_**/=+=/**_

**Oh, in terms of appearances, just so that people can figure out what's going on, Italy Romano isn't in this story. So I figured that he'll be my cohost for the rest of this story.**

**Romano:**** Well, crap. What happened to the eyebrow bastard? I thought he was your cohost.**

**Mitsuki:**** Oh, right, him. Well, he's dead.**

**Romano:**** WHAT!?**

**Mitsuki:**** Well, that's what I figured. I did see a bunch of fangirls bury him, so either he's dead or they buried him alive. Can't blame him, though.**

**Romano:**** *shiver***


	41. When Lives are Forever Changed

_Gilbert had finally recovered from all of his wounds after months of being bedridden, and was now able to walk without too much of a hassle. As he wandered the hallways, he could see all of the nobles staring at him with a strange look on his face. Even though his ribs were healed, Gilbert still would not say a word to anyone, instead limping around on his healing leg. Ludwig would always give him a scowl when he passed by, something that seemed to trouble the young man._

_The only person that would try to talk to him was Roderich. Feliciano was constantly monitored by Ludwig, so he couldn't even get close to him. As a result, he relied on his teacher to tell him everything about the young boy that they had found in the woods. He was most definitely the son of the evil king in power, but anything else about him would only result in quiet hushes from his teacher, even when alone. One day, he finally decided to ask him._

"_Roderich."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Why aren't you telling me about Gilbert?"_

"_Well…it's something that you'll learn when you're older." He folded his arms. "Have you ever heard of secrets, Feliciano?"_

"_Yes, Roderich. Father always told me to tell the truth so that no one is misled. He says that many horrible things come from lies."_

"_Yes, they do…but the truth of the matter is that he was talking about black lies."_

"_Black…lies?"_

"_Lies that bring forth hatred and anger, the lies that your father worried about." Roderich stated. "There are always two kinds of things in this world, Feliciano. There are black lies, and then there are white lies. Both of them are the same thing, but for different purposes."_

"_White lies? I thought words had no color."_

"_No, that's not what I mean by that color. White lies are meant to keep the peace…to protect someone. Would you lie in order to protect Ludwig if you had to?"_

"_Uh…w-what am I lying about?"_

"_If Ludwig's life is on the line."_

"_Oh…th-then of course I would. I am a…w-whatever you call me…"_

"_It's a __valet__, Feliciano." Roderich couldn't help but laugh at his words. "The lie that you would tell them is what I would consider a white lie. Many people are unable to figure out how to tell a white lie, and end up telling black ones."_

"_Why do people tell black lies?"_

"_Because they want to hurt someone. I'm not telling anyone anything on the off chance that I'm forced to tell a black lie. I'm not really good at telling white ones…"_

"_So you're hiding something and are just telling everyone that you can't talk about it?"_

"_That's about right." Roderich smiled. "Listen to me, telling lies is not a good thing, but in the case that you have to, you're better off using the lesser of two evils."_

"_You mean the white lies?"_

"_Exactly."_

"_All right…"_

"_And that's my lesson to you." He stood up. "Remember that well, all right?"_

"_Yes." He nodded. "But can I ask you one thing?"_

"_What might that be?"_

"_Why are you protecting Gilbert?"_

"…_because out of everyone else that hurts him, I'm the only one who knows the truth."_

"_Ve?"_

_Roderich merely smiled, leaving the boy confused as he turned and headed back toward Gilbert's room. He was glad on how he handled the situation, entering the room and seeing that Gilbert was standing on his two feet, unsupported, looking outside the window and seeing the small piece of land that Legolas was able to liberate from his father. The door closed behind him, and Gilbert turned around._

"_You're standing."_

"_You're here."_

"_Someone has to be. I figured that it was in my best duty to be the one doing so. Unlike everyone else, I'm neutral about you."_

"_And why is that?"_

"_You came here wounded, unable to fight back and were at the mercy of the people around you. If you were trying to take us over, you failed horribly." Roderich smiled. "Because of that, you are now a guest. And as a servant, it's my duty to oversee your hospitality."_

"…_that just sounds weird, coming out of your mouth."_

"_Is that so? Why is that?"_

"_You already know why…I can't handle nice."_

"_You never saw nice before. That's why."_

_Gilbert merely rolled his eyes. If anything, him being nice was the most suspicious thing that he ever observed, with his proper form and his regal-looking appearance and his clean…everything. Seriously, he had to be the cleanest looking person that he had ever seen in his life. Back at the castle, everyone would either be decked in fancy robes or so covered with make-up that it was impossible to see their actual faces. It was like walking around mannequins. He hated that._

"_You never told me why you ran away from him."_

"_Hm?"_

"_Why you ran from your father."_

"…_you know the wounds you saw before?"_

"_Who can't forget those?"_

"…_those weren't from your soldiers."_

_Roderich's eyes slowly widened as he finally realized what he was talking about. Gilbert turned back to him, his eyes dull from the images around him. He didn't look like a little boy anymore; he looked more like a young soldier that just got the reality of war dropped upon his head. All he could do was shake his head and see Gilbert smile at what his secret was._

"_He wanted an heir just like him, and I hated that. I didn't want the war or the fighting. I didn't want the fake nobles and the broken families. I didn't want any of that. I wanted stability…I wanted peace…I wanted the ability to suffer a boring day. With him, I couldn't do that." Gilbert shook his head. "That's why he thought of me as a failure. That's why he tried to drill his ideals into my brain…the hard way."_

_Roderich closed his eyes, unable to understand what was going on. He was completely unable to figure out what he was talking about. He only had seen the king as a father figure, and he was perfectly loving and caring to Ludwig (even though they were separated most of the time due to him trying to beat his father in war). Abusive parents? Was that even possible?_

"_Do you think that your father is going to try looking for you?"_

"…_I really hope not. If anything, he's going to just label me as dead and continue on with his life." Gilbert turned back to the window. "Good riddance."_

_They both stood there in quiet silence before hearing someone scream from downstairs. Roderich darted his head to the door as Gilbert looked out of the window, shocked at what he was seeing: soldiers. From his father's army. Charging at the door and walls as they pushed their way inside the castle. From the crowds, he could barely see his father leading the charge, and he paled._

"_Father…he's here…"_

"_I guess he really does love you after all, to do a tactic as harsh as this."_

"…_I'm not going to him." Gilbert turned to Roderich. "I don't care what you have to do: kill me, tie me up, hide me or throw me into the sea. Just…don't turn me in."_

"_I'll see what I can do."_

_**/=+=/**_

_The screams scared the little boy out of his mind. As Feliciano ran through the hallways, he watched in horror as the nobles and servants ran past the guards in a desperate attempt to get to safety. No one seemed to care that a twelve year old boy was running among them, begging for someone to help him. The windows crashed, and the enemy finally got into the room. The nobles screamed bloody murder._

_Feliciano panicked and ran into an empty room, seeing one of them being slaughtered before his eyes. He locked the door behind him and started sobbing, charging into one of the closets and closing the doors behind him while burying himself behind the clothes underneath them. He cuddled into the corner, hoping that these people are going to be driven out and that Ludwig would be all right and that all of this can be over soon…_

_The pounding started getting louder. They're trying to get into the room._

_He tried his best not to scream as he hid himself in the small closet, burying himself with more clothes. He wasn't here, wasn't he? He was most definitely just in his bed. He was going to be woken up by a servant and he was going to meet with his teacher and life was going to go on as usual. In the darkness, he could barely feel his mother's arms around him, and the splintering of wood in his legs…_

_The door collapsed, and he found himself wrapping his arms around his legs, hoping desperately that he wouldn't be found. There were shouts that he couldn't understand, and the stomping of feet on the carpets. Swords were drawn and clashed, and all he could wish for was that no one found him in this tiny place…the only safe place he can find…_

_Suddenly, he heard the doors being swung open, and someone grabbing his arms. Feliciano desperately started screaming and kicking, begging for anyone to find him and save him. He felt a swift blow to the back of his neck, and soon the darkness took over him._

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"_This castle is mine."_

"_But the royal family was able to get out before we could get them, sir."_

"_That's quite all right. This war is as good as won."_

"_So what should we do with the prisoners?"_

"_Send them to the pits."_

"_Yes, sir."_

**/=+=/**

**Mitsuki:**** Holy crap. I was expecting fewer flashbacks than this. Yeah, totally wasn't expecting this many of them.**

**Romano:**** Is it because they still can't find England and you need that guy to go on with the plot?**

**Mitsuki:**** Um…yeah, actually. Like, he's really essential. So if anyone can find him, I can finally get out of the freaking flashbacks.**

**Romano:**** So…where was he last time you saw him?**

**Mitsuki:**** …Europe? Western? Or was it Eastern? Well, he did mention something about meeting up with America…or was it China? Um…can't remember.**

**Romano:**** FUUUUUUUU-**


	42. A Realzation and Dedication

_The first thing he felt was the cold._

_Feliciano's eyes opened slowly, and for a minute he didn't even think they were open at all. He sat up and touched his face (accidentally touching his eye and flinched) while looking around. It was dark and quiet, lit only by a single torch and two windows. The walls and floor were made out of rocks and dirt, and there was a strange stench in the air. As he stood up and headed forward, he found himself running straight into a cell gate._

_Wait, cell?_

_Feliciano's fingers started to trace what was in front of him, his eyes widening when he realized what he was seeing: he was in a prison. As he turned his head, he could see similar cells as well, filled with people in tattered robes doing their own things. He looked down and realized that he was wearing the same strange robes as them, and that thought alone scared the life out of him._

"_Hey, you're new here, aren't you?"_

_He turned his head up and saw that there was a figure in the cage across from him. He had dirty blond hair, dirtier from all the dust from this hell hole, but what stuck out about him was that his eyes were bright blue. For half a minute, he thought he was staring at Ludwig, and instantly began to panic. But then he heard the voice. The voice was definitely not him. Plus, he sounded older than him._

"_Y-yes…"_

"_That's horrible, man. And how old are you?"_

"_T-twelve."_

"_Now that's just disgusting." He leaned back. "Wait…haven't I seen you before?"_

"_Did you?"_

"_Oh yeah…you're from the castle. Always with the prince and all? Feliciano, right?"_

"_H-how do you know me?"_

"_I was a soldier for the king. The __true__ king, after all." He grinned. "My name's Alfred."_

"…_Alfred." He turned his head around. "What's going on? Where am I?"_

"_Welcome to the dungeons." He answered. "Everyone's here because the king ordered it."_

"_So…I'm a prisoner?"_

"_Yeah…and apparently, you're not supposed to talk bad about the king here. Don't know why, cause we're here because of that, so why not rub our faces in it?"_

"_I guess…"_

"_Don't worry, Feliciano. We're going to get out of here."_

_The boy nodded, happy that at least someone knew that he was here. Part of him began to worry about Ludwig, hoping that he was all right and that he could somehow communicate with him soon. He leaned on the prison door, wondering if he was thinking the same thing. Then again, he would be too worried about his father to think about him once…right?_

_There was a dragging sound, and Feliciano looked up to see what was going on. Laughter echoed the empty halls, and he saw a few of the soldiers laughing and dragging the body of a prisoner behind them. Feliciano turned his head and saw that the body was completely cut up, almost as if he was minced by a chef. His platinum hair was tainted a dark red, and his eyes were wide open, revealing a strange shade of purple._

_Feliciano cringed and backed up, hurling in the corner of the room. He had never seen a body like that before. Deaths were supposed to be peaceful, on a bed, with people that loved them around and reassuring them. Not like this…not like they were nothing more than cattle to the slaughter. Why can't he stop thinking about it? _

"_Oh, it looks like the new recruit is awake~"_

_His eyes widened as he looked up, seeing a few more guards standing at the entrance with a strange man before them. The shadows were making sure that he didn't see his face, but all he needed to see was the evil grin…something that made him cry a little and crawl to the back of the cell. The door unlocked, and the man stepped in, his steps light and swift._

"_I've had a few as young as you…never lasted as long, of course." He knelt down to his level. "You're cute, you know that?"_

_Feliciano turned his head away, crying softly in fear. What the heck was going on? What was that man going to do to him? He was about to ask when he felt his hand slowly caress his arm. His eyes froze, watching the fingers slowly dance up and down his forearm. He was too close for comfort, and he was unable to scream for help._

"_I never saw one as cute as you before." _

"_Stop it! Leave him alone!" Alfred screamed from the other side. "He's way too young for what you're going to do!"_

"_W-what?"_

_Suddenly, he heard a blade piercing something soft, and a scream of pain, then something collapsing onto the floor. Feliciano started to sob and thrash against the man, which were not affecting him at all. The man was not saying anything, pinning him to the ground and trying his best to hold him down as he tried to get away from him. And then the pain began._

_**-FOUR YEARS LATER-**_

"_You're looking for a servant, aren't you?"_

"_Yes. The ones I have are too old to talk to my young daughter, so I wanted to see if there was someone here that could be her friend."_

"_No stepsiblings?"_

"_I don't trust them, really…"_

_A guard shook his head as he brought the man through the prison cells. All of the men inside were staring at him in confusion, wondering who in the world this new man was. As the noble walked through the hallway, his eyes drifted to someone that had caught his interest. It was a young teenager, looking at the wall with his knees to his chest, saying absolutely nothing. He stared at the poor boy, frowning._

"_Who is he?"_

"_Oh, that one? He's a favorite of the boss. If you want him, you're going to have to cough up a lot of more money than the other guys here."_

"_Hm…"_

_The boy turned his head toward the noble's shoes, unable to look at him in the eye. His features seemed quiet and feminine, almost as if he was looking at a woman instead. As he finally looked up to his face, the noble saw that his eyes were a dull hazel tone, almost as if he wasn't __here__ here…living in another world away from the place that they were in._

"…_save me…"_

"_Huh?"_

"…_save…me…" He turned away._

"_**Is that your wish…?"**_

"_Yes…"_

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"_You know what?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I'm going to see if your boss is going to lower down your price."_

**/=+=/**

"_We have a new servant in the house!"_

"_Oh, serious?"_

_Feliciano looked up and saw a strange young woman with tied up blond hair and a purple dress charging down the staircase. He cringed a little bit and hid behind the nobleman, seeing three other women charge through the staircase to watch them. One of them seemed to catch his eyes, a young girl with short, tied up brown hair. Her green eyes seemed the calmest of the bunch._

"_This is my wife, Francine, and her daughters Irunya and Natalya." He pointed to the brunette. "That is my daughter, Elizabeta."_

"…_Feliciano…"_

"_Is that your name?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_All right. Elizabeta, is it all right if you show him around?"_

"_OK." She went to Feliciano. "Come with me~"_

_Feliciano stared at her for a few seconds before quietly following her. He wasn't really paying attention at what she was saying, instead staring around at the fancy wallpaper and doors that were around him. He hadn't seen anything like that since his time with Ludwig. Speaking of which, it must be only him, but for some reason he could see that the world outside the prison was brighter…_

"_E-Eliza…?"_

"_Yes?" She turned around, smiling softly._

"…_who is the king of the realm?"_

"_Oh, him? It's…um…Kaltherzig, I think? I'm not sure, he's fairly new. My mother doesn't seem to like him."_

_That statement instinctively made Feliciano crack a small smile. Ludwig's father had gotten back the throne from the evil king. He is now a prince of the land. He turned back to Elizabeta and paid attention to what she was talking about. She was very kind to him, and even showed them her room. It seemed really fancy, not at fancy as Ludwig's room. She touched his shoulder, and he instantly flinched._

"_Oh…did I hurt you?"_

"_No…" He blushed. "Nothing like that…"_

"_Don't worry. You're in good hands now."_

"…_all right…"_

_Feliciano turned back to Elizabeta, who was smiling and motioning for him to follow her. He quietly followed suit, hope slowly coming back into his broken soul. As he passed another window, he turned his head and saw the horizon of the ocean, wondering if Ludwig was wondering where he was at this very moment. He smiled quietly, hoping that someday he'll see him again._

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"_**I…I see now…"**_

Arthur looked at the soul in front of him. He had been granting so many wishes that he couldn't even remember how many of them were granted. He turned back to the broken Feliciano, his voice broken and small, near the brink of death, and understood everything that had happened to him, and why he was here.

Slowly, he put the soul back in his body, feeling the warmth spread around his skin. He turned his head and watched as Feliciano's eyes slowly open, trying to figure out where he was and what happened. When he noticed Arthur in the room, he panicked and tried to hide himself with the blanket covering him.

"W-what are you doing here…?" He asked, shivering, thousands of emotions going through his mind.

"_**I understand what the problem is now. You're not evil at all."**_

"I-I'm not?" Feliciano was confused. "B-but you said-"

"_**You were cursed."**_

"Cursed?" He sat up, staring at him. "W-what do you mean?"

"_**Your life was filled with pain and decay, and with a soul like this, no wonder you have attraction to the one man that was nice to you…"**_

"I don't understand…"

"_**Can't you see? You were supposed to be a woman when you were born. Somehow, you were born a man."**_

"O-oh…I see." He blushed and looked away. "But how are we going to solve that problem?"

"_**Well, there is only one place where I think I can help you."**_ Arthur stated. _**"Today is the king's birthday, and Ludwig will be there to celebrate."**_

"I-I see…?"

"_**I've never actually changed someone's…gender, to tell you the truth, but I think I can make you a woman during the course of the party."**_

"A woman…so that I can be with Ludwig…"

"_**He only loves women, Feliciano. I can turn you into a female, but it won't be permanent unless you do something on your part."**_

"W-what do you want me to do?"

"_**My magic works purely on wishes. If you can get Ludwig to love you back with a kiss, then that should be enough for you to stay as a woman and to be accepted for who you are."**_

"A woman…"

"_**You were supposed to be a woman. I'm only here to fix what life had forgotten to do."**_

Feliciano turned his head away and started to think about it. If he doesn't take this offer, if he was going to stay as a man for the rest of his life, then he'll never be able to reveal his feelings for him. He'll have to live the rest of his life suffering with his biggest secret. But if he turned into a woman, and he could talk to Ludwig and start over…and perhaps he could stay with him forever…

"I…I'll do it."

"_**As you wish."**_

He closed his eyes, hearing Arthur mutter something underneath his breath. Suddenly, he heard nothing except for the wind blowing from the window. He stood up and headed toward the open window, closing it and noticing that his delicate fingers were even more delicate than before. He turned toward the mirror and saw what he had done.

"I'm…I'm a woman…"

His figure was very thin and frail _(perhaps from the lack of dinner?)_, and were those breasts on him? He couldn't help but cover them, blushing immensely on what he was seeing. He turned his head and noticed that there was a dress on the bed, perhaps for the party that happening later today. It did look beautiful.

_I guess…I should get dressed._

**/=+=/**

**OK, I'm done with Arthur. Have fun.**


	43. The Life of the Party

The castle was quickly getting crowded with guests. People were having a hard time trying to get through the door, and it didn't take long for the banquet hall to be filled with the most elegant nobles of the land. The women were in beautiful gowns, the men in the cleanest tuxedoes, and just a few feet above them stood the king and his sons, waiting for the time where everyone would be ready to dance.

She had no idea how to get into the crowd without sticking out. Feliciano _(well, he decided to call himself Alice for the time being)_ did her best to crawl through the crowd, seeing as if she can blend into the party. Everyone seemed so confident and proud at what they were doing that she, a plain little girl who was secretly a guy with a dress that she was pretty sure was stolen from someone, seemed to stick out even more.

Why did she bother doing this? Ludwig would be too busy sitting just above the reaches of the people below him. She wasn't going to be able to talk to him, much less kiss him, during this time. She basically made that wish for nothing. She decided to give up on that and decided to see if she could find Elizabeta in all of the mess. If what Arthur said was correct…

_Ve…I can't find her in this crowd._ She sighed. _Then again, would she recognize that it's me?_

Her mind drifted back to hiding, and she found herself cuddling close to the pillars near the wall, watching everyone talk and chat their lives away like there was nothing unusual going on. It continued to drift even further, wondering if she could even be noticeable to him. Come to think of it, what kind of girl was his type, anyway…?

"Ladies and gentlemen! I thank you all for coming!"

Her head turned upward to the king.

"I must admit, I never expected this day to come…I never expected all of these days I had to come to me. I had fought a long and hefty battle against my own brother, and with all of my strength, I returned peace and prosperity to the land, returned it back to the former glory that it was long before we came onto this world!"

There were cheers.

"I will have many long and fruitful years ahead of me, as will my children, the heirs to the legacy that I will one day leave behind. But let us not think about that day. Today, we celebrate a milestone. Today, I can proudly say that I have lived on for another one of this world's long and hefty years! To honor!"

"And to glory! Long live the king!"

She couldn't help but giggle. She had never heard of that cheer before. When did that happen? Maybe it was when they finally won the throne from the bad brother…? Maybe he was just being a little too happy about things like this…?

Whatever the case was, there was clapping going on, and the party finally began to go on its merry way. The men went to dance with their chosen dates, and five minutes later, the dance floor was quickly being established and everyone was quickly seeking a dance partner. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that no one was going to ask her to dance, and that Ludwig and Gilbert were staying with their king away from the party goers. She couldn't help but frown; they weren't going to be joining them on the dance floor after all.

That's when something happened.

There was a low mummer going around the nobles when the door finally opened. Alice blinked and tried her best to push forward and see what was going on. For a quick second, she could see that there was a woman walking through, smiling at all of the attention that she was obtaining and waving to a few people who were nice enough to wave back at her. She was a stunner, more beautiful than she would ever be, and was scared that she would take Ludwig away from her.

That's when he realized it was Elizabeta.

Sure, she didn't look a thing like her usual self _(her hair was DOWN, for once)_, and her face was so covered with make-up that it was weird, but she couldn't help but admit that she looked extremely beautiful. Yet in her eyes, she could barely see a strange shade of sadness. What was going on with her…?

Among the mummers, he could hear Gilbert openly whistling at the woman and whispering something to Ludwig. Alice turned her head and watched with a fluttering heart as the both of them left the balcony. They were going to join them in the dance hall. Ludwig was going to be on the floor. She had a chance to be with him secretly.

Alice found herself fixing her dress as the hooting and hollering of the women made him realize that they had reached the bottom and were now joining the people in the dance. Gilbert made no hesitation in passing through all of the noblewomen and joining the new person that had just joined the party. Alice smiled and left the two to themselves; they deserve to have the night.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Francine and Irunya talking to each other about what the heck was going on, about "who the new girl is" and why "she was taking away the prince". Alice found herself raising a small eyebrow: Natalya wasn't among them. Was she going to the bathroom, doing her own thing? Or…?

"Oof!"

"Oh…I-I'm sorry…"

"T-that's fine…eh?"

Alice looked up and saw Ludwig staring back at her, a startled look on his face. Instantly, she felt her face burn up and she looked away, unable to figure out what to say. There was Ludwig, right in front of her. She could now talk to him, perhaps get him to love her in…what, three hours? But what could she say to him in order to get him interested in her? She found herself mumbling to herself, and to her surprise, Ludwig was not leaving. He had been staring at her, a confused look on his face.

"U-um…"

"Are…are you all right?" He asked, confused. "You look a little dizzy."

"No…no, I'm all right…I'm OK…" Alice looked up with a soft smile. "But…thank you for worrying about me."

"Well…you are a newcomer to this place, aren't you?"

"What?"

"I haven't seen you before." He seemed doubtful about that statement. "So I thought that you needed someone to talk to…because you surely have no experience talking to strangers."

"Y-yeah…" Alice blushed. "The truth is…I was supposed to meet up with someone here, but I haven't seen him lately…"

"Is that so…?" Ludwig looked away, obviously unable to talk to her without sounding weird. "Well then…I should stay with you until he comes around."

"Eh?"

"A young lady such as yourself should not be standing alone and waiting for your escort to arrive. You…uh…_what's the term…."_ Ludwig looked at her. "You're…too pretty to be left alone."

Her face became so red that she worried that she would instantly turn back to Feliciano without a second thought. Just as they were wondering what else to talk about, a certain song came up and the nobles immediately started to dance. Alice had heard that song before. When she was visiting the capital city back under the rule of the evil kingdom with his parents, it was playing in the noble hall, almost as if it was a birthday party. Ludwig couldn't help but notice her curiosity, and smiled.

"You haven't heard this song, have you?"

"Um…I think I have, but I'm not really sure."

"It's the anthem of the family line, known from generations to generations." Ludwig explained. "Supposedly, it was the song that the first king had been anointed with, created by a mystical bard."

"So the song is…blessed?"

"Yes…that is what the story says, though."

"I see…" Alice smiled. She already knew the story, but it sounded so majestic coming out of his mouth. "So this must really be a beautiful song."

"It is…" He was blushing. "Um…"

"Yes?"

"Well…do you wish to, um…have a dance with me?"

Alice nearly paled in shock.

"I-if you don't want to, that's fine."

"N-no…no, of course I'll dance with you!" She answered with a smile. "I just…never danced before."

"That's all right…I guess we can learn together."

Ludwig quietly lifted up a hand to her, leaving her speechless as she silently and hesitantly gave her hand to his. He led her to the dance floor as the song echoed around the halls. Alice had never been this close to Ludwig before…not like this…dancing with him…hand-in-hand…this romantic setting…

"You never had an escort, didn't you?"

"…_n-no…"_

"I figured as much…" Ludwig quietly held onto her waist, almost as if he was confused. "But it's all right…I'm here now."

"Y-yeah…"

Alice could feel her spirits rise as the dance continued. She did it. She was dancing with Ludwig. Now all she had to do was kiss him…maybe pretend that she was so entranced with the moment that she forgot the circumstances…and perhaps she'll finally stay like this, as a woman.

_Maybe Arthur was right…maybe I was supposed to be a woman after all…that all of this was a cosmic joke and that it's been corrected now._

So why did it feel so…wrong?

She had no idea what felt so wrong about this. She was going to be with Ludwig forever. She'll be a woman, her feelings accepted by a society that couldn't tolerate him before. She'll bear his children, be a loving mother, much like his own…her own mother…and she'll be with Ludwig for the rest of her life. So what was holding him back…?

**/=+=/**

"_Mommy, mommy! I finally learned how to spell my name!"_

"_That's great, sweetheart! We should go tell your father about this, yes?"_

"_Yeah, yeah!"_

"_Let's go look for him, shall we?"_

_Alice followed her son through the hallways, hearing his laughter echo through the hallways. He looked so much like his father, she couldn't help but smile. As she wandered through, she wondered if he'll grow up exactly like him as well. She held her belly, holding the second child until she was ready to deliver. But where could her husband be…?_

_She rounded the corner and heard the chirpy voice of her son bragging about his achievement to his father, talking and laughing as if it was the most important thing in the world. Yet it seemed as if he wasn't paying attention at all. He was sitting on the guest bed, staring out of the window as if he was bothered by something, but he was generally happy about what his son did._

"_Ahaha…you've learned the first thing to know about the world, my son. But you still have many things to learn before you can call yourself a prince."_

"_Yeah~" He smiled, sitting next to him. "But papa…can I ask you something?"_

"_What is it?"_

"_Why do you sit in here and stare out of the window? Is this room important?"_

_Alice stood there, hidden behind the door, wondering what he was talking about. But it didn't take long for Ludwig to reject his son's offer, and soon he was patting the side of his bed to get him to sit on it. The young boy joined him, looking up at his father and wondering what he was going to talk about._

"_I'm going to tell you a story, all right? This is something personal, something that your mother doesn't know, so don't tell her, all right?"_

"_I won't~"_

"_All right…this actually corresponds to the day I first met your mother. It was my father's 55__th__ birthday, and we had a grand celebration, with people all over the world coming together to join us in his right to the age of fifty-five. It was also the day I met your mother. She had to be the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life."_

_Alice blushed._

"_Wow…do you regret meeting mommy?"_

"_No, of course not. I would never regret that moment. It's what I had to pay for it that I regret."_

"_Pay…for?"_

"_Before I met your mother, I had a childhood friend. We had known each other even before my father was king, and we had a lot of journeys together, some that I won't be telling you now~"_

"_Aw…"_

"_All you need to know is that fate seemed destined to keep us apart, but we kept to it…and one day, after years of separation, we finally drifted back together again. We started right back where we left off, almost as if we had never separated at all." Ludwig smiled. "It was a friend that I never had, and a friend that I will never have again."_

"_What happened to him, daddy?"_

"…_I don't know, son. I don't know." He held him close to his body. "He had fallen into a coma one day and…my father wanted me to join him in his celebrations, so I left him alone to be at the party. It was the one that I met your mother in, but…when I came back, he was gone. And I never saw him since."_

"_Is he dead, father?"_

"…_I think he is…we never found him…and to this day, I still don't know what happened. But I still do not regret that day…for I met your mother and had you~" Ludwig smiled. "So you can spell your name, right?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Why don't you spell it out for me?"_

"_Um…F…e…l…i…s?"_

"_It's c. Don't worry, you'll get it."_

"_OK…c…i…a…n…o."_

"_Now can you put it all together?"_

"…_Feli…ciano…Feliciano!" He chirped. "I did it!"_

"_Good for you…" He smiled. "Did you tell your mother yet?"_

"_Yep~"_

**/=+=/**

Alice froze, the thought finally sinking into her mind. Feliciano. Of course. It took so long for her to realize that there was still that part of her…of him…the real him. While she was dancing away and dreaming of a beautiful future with him, she's slowly killing Feliciano without realizing it. Alice cannot exist while Feliciano is still alive. Ludwig was going to lose something today…he's going to be the one who suffers.

Who was she going to be? Was she going to be Alice, the woman that Ludwig loves and marries? Or was he going to be Feliciano, the best friend that Ludwig needs to protect? He did waste all those years before looking for him. Would he really be happy without his best friend? Without him, but with her…?

She slowly backed away, her eyes widened with realization, Ludwig staring at her in confusion, unable to figure out what was going on. She was muttering something to herself, crying, before charging out of the ball room with tears running down her face.

_I can't do this…I can't get rid of Feliciano…_


	44. Three Words

She found herself running into the garden, surrounded by moonlight and the flowers that she had seen before. There was no way she could run any farther than where she is now. Anything farther than the gardens and she would be in the woods. There was no way she could handle running through the woods in heels she barely knew how to walk in. How would she-

_NO! Stop calling yourself that, please! You're not a woman, Feliciano!_

That's right. His name was Feliciano.

Alice was a cover.

He was a man in a woman's body, mistaken to be a man.

There was no way that he could change that.

He held his mouth to cover his sobs, looking down at his hands trying to understand what kind of decision he made. He took the chance to be a woman so that he could live with Ludwig forever as his wife. But what if he didn't take him up on the offer? What if it was a onetime fling and then never again? Feliciano would wander the world, trapped in a woman's body forever, with only a broken heart keeping him alive. At least if he stayed a man, he could stay with Ludwig, even if it's only as friends.

_That's…that's all I want, don't I?_ He smiled. _Just to stay with him…not to have my love returned to me…just to stay next to him like what he had…_

He could stay with Ludwig till the end of time, just as a servant and a friend, silently observing his master's life, while suffering inside from the thorns of his emotions. He could live like that until the day he died, knowing that he spent his years with him, knowing where he was and what had happened. It would be like a relationship, only the three most important words in the world would never be mentioned in the air. He could live like that.

_I just have to convince myself, that's all._

Arthur already said that this was the only way that affection such as his could be accepted by society. But if he was supposed to be a woman, even if it was some form of cosmic mistake, he developed these emotions while he was a man, so he was only going to be in love as a man. It just wasn't the same.

"_I…I love Ludwig…"_ He held back his tears. _"I can't…I can't say it…"_

Maybe Ludwig decided to go and dance with another girl. Someone prettier, richer than he ever would be. The next day, he'll go and hang out with her, their fathers looking at each other and talking about the terms of dowry and marriage dates. He would be so in love that he would completely forget him, the poor boy that had just woken up from a few weeks' coma for no reason and with no explanation. They would marry and have children and have such a beautiful life together…while he would be the faithful servant as always…

_Ve…the more I think about it, the more depressed I get…_

Seriously, would there be room for him in his life after Ludwig gets married? Once he has a wife, he'll have to focus on bearing children, and then he would have to worry about the children, which would burn through years that he would never get back. It was as if staying here was the worst idea of them all.

"…I have to go back there." He slapped his cheeks a few times. _I have to be a woman…I have to make the risks…_

Suddenly, he felt someone grab his wrists, and he struggled to try and get himself free. The grip was too strong, and he found himself crying softly out of fear, his head turned away and hoping that the pain will be over soon. Yet nothing happened. It just felt like there were eyes on his soul. He turned his head and realized that it was Ludwig, holding onto his wrist and staring at him as if he was trying to see something. He whimpered and turned away. What was he doing here?

"I knew it…"

"Eh?"

"Those eyes…I've seen that color before. And who else do I know that has a hair curl like that?"

He panicked, pulling back and trying to hide his curl with his hands. It was really no use, for it stood out like it wouldn't bother and almost as if it was reading Feliciano's wishes to be exposed and sticking out proudly like a sore thumb. He whimpered and tried to hide himself.

"…Feli…?"

"…_L-Lud-sama…"_

"W-what's going on?" Ludwig walked closer. "Why are you…why are you in a dress?"

"I-I…"

"Are you…are you a woman?"

"…I…I am…" He couldn't hide it any longer. He turned and faced him proudly, the broken mess that he is now. "But only for now."

"For…now? Feliciano, I don't understand."

"I made a wish, that I could be female for this night." Feliciano turned his head away.

"Feliciano, you were in a coma for God knows how long, and that's what you're telling me? You wanted to be a woman, for one night? Why?"

There was no way he could avoid it, couldn't he? Ludwig would never understand if he would try and lie his way around the truth. No, Ludwig had to be told the truth. It would make sense, if he thought about it. If Ludwig could understand what Feliciano was going for, and if all the stars in the sky were aligned and he just happened to share the same feelings with him, he would understand the sacrifice he did for him. He could kiss him and keep him female, and they could be together forever, without oppression. He could risk it…he had to.

"I-I…"

"Feliciano…tell me, please."

"I…I…_love…y-you…"_

"Feli…?"

"I love you, Ludwig Kaltherzig. Even if the entire world told me that it was wrong and immoral, I just can't stop…loving you like this…!"

There. His answer was out in the open. His greatest secret, exposed to the one man that in any other life, he would have refused to tell him, even if his life was on the line _(even though it technically was before)_. And by the look he could see on his face, Ludwig was obviously disgusted by what Feliciano had confessed. There was no way that the stars were aligned. He wasn't in love with him. There never was a mutual attraction. Feliciano found himself breaking down into tears, the reality crashing onto him.

"I-I…I knew it…I knew I shouldn't have told you…!" He sobbed. "Now we can never go back to how it was before…!"

"_Feli…"_

"I…I can't stay here…I can't stay in this kingdom any longer…_I…I have to go."_

"…_**!"**_

"_I just ask that you give me until midnight and then I'll leave quietly. I'll gather up my things and take the first ship out of the kingdom…away from you…away from the bad influence that I am."_ He couldn't stop crying. _"I won't forget you, Lud-sama…but I beg of you…please forget that I existed…please move on with your life…I can't drag you down farther than you already are…"_

He had enough. Ludwig charged forward and clung onto the poor boy, hearing his breath hitch and feeling him rapidly thrash against him before he collapsed into tears. He had never seen Feliciano this broken before, not since he had lost his parents to the war. He felt so vulnerable, so lonely, feeling his fragile hands cling tightly onto his back with tears coming down into his jacket.

"_L-let me go…let me go, please…"_

"_You said that you wanted to stay here until midnight."_ Ludwig answered. _"You have until midnight."_

Feliciano gasped, understanding what he meant, and then clung tightly onto his jacket, feeling the warmth radiate through his skin. This was going to be the last time that he would see him like this: alive, breathing, warm to the touch. He found himself memorizing everything about the prince before him…his breath…his warmth…his tight grip…the image of that smile, the one that made his heart flutter once more. The more he remembered them, the more heartbroken he felt at the inevitability that he was going to lose it all, and the more that he cried into his shoulder. He never wanted midnight to happen.

Yet, that was what happened. The clock struck midnight, and the deal was over. Feliciano felt his body grow numb and glow a bright white, startling the both of them there, before flashing back into nothing. Ludwig backed up and saw Feliciano as he truly was: still in his sleeping gown and shivering from the cold. His eyes were casted downward, unable to look up to him.

"_I…I'm thankful that you stayed with me, Ludwig…I won't forget it…"_ He swallowed, hoping that his voice wouldn't waver. _"…fare…farewell…"_

The young boy risked it one more time to make eye contact with him, wanting to remember the final moment together, even for something as broken as this. He forced his eyes to look back at the prince, absorbing how shiny the navy blues were in the light. Before he knew it, Ludwig had charged forward and crashed his lips upon his.

Feliciano had no idea what was going on. Half a second ago, he felt his world crashing around him as he was going to leave the wreckage behind. Now here he was, being kissed by the one man that he never saw was going to happen. It was fierce and tight; he could not escape from his hold, and all he could do was grip onto his jacket and pray he didn't pass out from the lack of oxygen. As they parted, Ludwig could see the mix of happiness and confusion clouding the beautiful hazel eyes that was Feliciano.

"_I…I don't understand…I'm no longer a-"_

"No. You're not. And I prefer it that way." Ludwig smiled. "I can't pin it down, but there's just…something about you that I can't look away from. I didn't understand what I felt but…you described it perfectly, whatever it was…and then to see you suffering from it…"

"_I'm sorry…"_

"Don't be. You saved me from never understanding." Ludwig caressed him. "Please…whatever you do…don't leave me again."

"_I-I…"_ He couldn't help but smile. _"I won't…kiss me?"_

Ludwig smiled at the innocent face he made with that question, and happily complied with his command.

**EPILOGUE**

_Here lies Natalya Arlovskaya_

_A young woman filled with dreams and desires_

_Killed by the demons that wanted to feast upon success_

_May God look down on her in mercy._

Feliciano had no idea what to say. Just a few weeks _(months?)_ ago, she had confided in him that she was just like him: in love with women and wanted nothing more than to be happy. Now here they were, Feliciano happy with Ludwig, here joining Gilbert in obtaining Elizabeta to join him in the castle, seeing the one person that deserved the happiness the most. She had been so sad…

"Was that the one you were talking about?"

"Yes…Natalya. She was just like me, loving women instead of men and only wanting to be happy." Feliciano's eyes narrowed. "Her mother, Francine…she couldn't accept that."

"And this happened."

"It was an _exorcism_, last time I remember." He answered. "She was killed by an exorcism…"

"Just because they thought she was possessed…" Ludwig shook his head. "God…"

Feliciano turned back to Natalya, thinking back onto the time when she said that she had fallen in love with a girl. Did it hurt for her as much as his feelings had hurt him? And she had been rejected because of them, tormented and ridiculed to the point where Francine had thought that she was the devil himself.

"Bruder just got Eliza. We have to go."

"Give me a minute, all right? I'll meet you at the carriage."

"All right. Don't take too long."

Feliciano watched as Ludwig turned and headed back to the carriage, turning back to Natalya's grave. It had been covered by the first layer of winter, and it took forever to find the right gravestone. But he couldn't help but think it was more because of denial than just being lost. He knelt down and lifted up a small daisy, curled up in the stem of another.

"Good-bye, Natalya. May God keep you in his arms for the rest of eternity…" He smiled. "And may I see you there someday as well."

He stood, seeing the two daisies rest quietly on Natalya's tomb, before turning and walking back to the carriage.

**/=+=/**

**And that, my friends, is the end of the story. I hope you guys enjoyed all of that~**

**If anyone has any more questions on characters, ask and I'll either answer you or fill up another chapter :3**


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